


Simplicity

by Pixelatrix



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Adoption, Explicit Language, F/M, Family, Humor, Love, M/M, Orphan - Freeform, Sex(Eventually), Straying From Canon Slightly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-05 02:05:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 36,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1801408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zaeed Massani is in the process of picking up information from a contact when he runs into a little street urchin in France.    He can't leave the little girl on the street...but he can't take her with him, can he?</p><p>The events of Mass Effect told through the eyes of someone who isn't Shepard.</p><p>Title taken from this quote:<br/>“Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.”<br/>― Isaac Newton</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy
> 
> Clothing Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88319133861/the-streetstyle-dea-sejdiu-via
> 
> Place Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88274042811/just-wanna-travel-biarritz-france

Zaeed only planned to be in Biarritz for a few hours. He’d only _just_ recovered from being shot in the face by his backstabbing bastard of a partner. His contact promised to have everything ready for him the moment he arrived. He was walking down a narrow street toward the small tourist shop the man used as a front for his fake ID business. The sound of quiet sobbing caught his attention as he rounded a corner.

_Keep walking, Massani._

_Sniveling brats are not your goddamn problem._

He would’ve listened to himself except for the angry voice he heard next that drowned out what was clearly a child’s soft whimpers. He had to turn sidewise to move through space between the two rows of houses.   He finally spotted a large man looming over what appeared to be a crawlspace behind one of the buildings.

“You can’t stay in their forever, you obstinate little bitch.” The man slammed his fist against a wooden fence. “Come out. It only hurts…”

Not giving the man a chance to finish his threat, Zaeed knocked the bastard out with a sharp tap to the back of his neck. With him handled, Zaeed knelt down to peer into the dark hole barely large enough to fit the small child cowering inside in the damp darkness. His eyes adjusted after a moment so he could see the girl hunched inside more clearly.

“I won’t hurt you.” Zaeed held his hand out to her. “Let me help you.”

She whispered something in French he didn’t catch then finally spoke more clearly in accented English. “Promise?”

He could’ve told her promises were worthless. His eyes drifted over to the still unconscious lump to his right. He had a feeling the little waif already knew exactly what promises from men were worth.

“I promise.” Zaeed waited long minutes until the small, grubby hand grabbed his.

She shuffled forward until she finally slipped out to stand in front of him. “Allô.”

He stayed crouched in front of the brown haired, brown eyed girl. “How old are you?”

She held up both of her hands then lowered a couple of her fingers.

“Can I take you home?” Zaeed didn’t want to leave her on the streets in her dirty, torn sundress, not in this part of town. The bloody kid didn’t even have shoes on her. Her legs were scraped and bruised. Her feet weren’t in much better shape. She was thin, way too thin. “Where do you live?”

She pointed solemnly to the place she’d just scrawled out from. She sniffled then scratched her nose with the back of her hand. “Momma and Papa didn’t wake up.”

_Bloody hell._

“Do you remember when they didn’t wake up?” Zaeed had a feeling his simple trip had just gotten complicated.

“No. Forever?” She shifted back and forth on her feet. “Can I go now?”

_Did she really expect him to just walk away?_

His eyes drifted over for a second time to the man he’d knocked out. The kid probably did expect him to just disappear. It was likely better than the alternative in her mind.

It required extra credits, but Zaeed was able to convince his contact to create an additional identity complete with birth certificate. The little girl didn’t talk much, she did tell him her name was Max. He’d done an extra-net search and found a young couple and their daughter who were presumed dead from a contagious virus that had gone around the city a year ago.

She’d been on the street…alone for a year.

Her name was Maxine Adrienne Dubois.

It was now Maxine Adrienne Massani.

He listed her as his daughter. It would stop any _questions_. Max didn’t seem to mind.   Granted, she was six.   She was happy to not have to go to the doctor again. He’d insisted on taking her for a complete check-up once the identification issue was handled.

Their first stop _before_ the doctor though was to a child clothing boutique not far from the beach. Zaeed knew nothing about kids clothing, but she needed more than one ratty sundress.   He purchased a large purple suitcase and told the store owner to fill it with clothes that would fit Max not only this year but the next since kid’s had an annoying tendency to grow.

Max flitted around the store once the woman got her measurements. She’d already been changed into jeans, a plain white tunic with a dark green cardigan. She was offered sandals but Max grabbed a pair of green boots instead. Zaeed fought to keep a smile from his face when she muttered they looked like his boots. He glanced down at his scruffy black boots that looked nothing like the shiny, green ones she was now the proud owner of.

She bored quickly of looking at the clothes and wandered over to a small section of the store containing toys. Zaeed noticed her fingers brush repeatedly against the soft fur of a chocolate brown teddy bear. She pulled her hand away and moved over to sit on the bench beside him. Her hands clasped in her lap while she swung her legs back and forth.

He told her to wait while he went over to speak with the store owner. She smiled when he asked her to add not only the teddy bear, but several of the other toys. He was paying for the items when it dawned on him that he needed to figure out what the hell to do with the girl.

_Orphanage?_

Zaeed shuddered at the memories of the orphanage he’d been tossed into as a child. He watched Max cling to the teddy bear the woman had just handed to her. _What the hell was he doing?_

He considered the orphanage idea again. He got so far as the steps to one of the better ones in the city. The little brown eyes blinking up at him with one small arm clutched around a teddy bear did him in. He couldn’t just _leave_ her. She reached her hand up to grip his tightly.

_Goddamn it._

“S’ok.” Her lower lip trembled a little as she whispered up at him.  She offered the soft toy to him. “I can stay here.”

“No, no, I don’t think that’s going to work.” He lifted her up to carry her on his hip. “Don’t drop the goddamn bear.”

She smiled then, for the first time, and gripped the bear to her chest. “You said goddamn.”

“So I did.” He tried to scowl sternly down at her while he grabbed the handle of her luggage to start away from the orphanage. “You probably shouldn’t repeat it though.”

“Why?”

“No goddamn idea.”

“You said it again,” she remarked seriously.

“Bloody urchin.”

“You said bloody.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy

Zaeed decided to settle in Sydney. He’d spent time there as a teenager. He wanted to be close to a port and in a large enough city they could blend in without being noticed. It also kept them far away from anyone Vido might send after him. He wouldn’t worry so much if it weren’t for the little urchin with him.

He bought a sizeable apartment in one of the pricier building near Lavender Bay in North Sydney. He initially picked it because of the proximity to the North Sydney sky-port. It turned out to be even more convenient when he discovered one of the best private schools was within a short walk.

Wenona School served two purposes for Zaeed. It would provide Max with a great education and it allowed boarders which meant if he had to leave for a bounty, she’d be safe enough at the school. He’d worked out a deal with the Principal of the girls’ school that meant she could board only when necessary. It had required a sizeable donation to the school.

_Goddamn kid._

He could afford it though. He’d known Vido’s betrayal would come at some point. It came sooner than expected, but his plan to siphon off a huge portion of the credits the Blue Suns had secreted away in various accounts had worked.

Giggling from down the hallway caught his attention, Zaeed made his way quietly down the hall to stand outside of Max’s room. He eased the door open and found her stretched out on her stomach on the soft rug that covered part of the wooden floor. She was shoulder to shoulder with her best friend Josie Shepard. They appeared to be working on a school project.

“Max?”

She stopped giggling immediately and turned _serious_ brown eyes towards him. “Yes, Papa?”

His eyes narrowed on her. Max had a way of suddenly going from laughing seven year old to serious looking mini-adult. He hated it when she did it. “Nothing is wrong. Josie’s mom is here to pick her up.”

He watched the two girls quickly pack up their things and the little curly headed girl raced down the hall to where her mother outside. He focused instead on Max who was carefully putting her books away on the shelf. She was fastidious about her room.   She liked everything to have square edges; the furniture was all color blocked in various shades of green.

The faintest of scratches came from inside one of her cupboard drawers. Max froze in the process of zipping up her backpack. The scuffling was followed by a plaintive meow that had Zaeed’s _complete_ attention.

“Is there by any chance a kitten hidden in the goddamn room?” Zaeed kept his voice as _calm_ as he could.

His adopted daughter still tended to run and hide when anyone shouted at or near her. It was one of the reasons he’d made sure her room had several large cupboards big enough for her to hide inside. He’d spent an entire day modifying one so it had a small terminal and cushions inside. It more importantly locked from within so Max could seal herself in when she was afraid.

Max opened the drawer and lifted a tiny creature into her arms. “He doesn’t have a name.”

“Why not?” Zaeed bent down to get a better look at the fluffy, tiger-striped kitten.

“He might have to go away.” She tilted her head up and her long brown hair fell out of her face. “Does he have to go away?”

“Goddamn it,” he muttered. He placed the little fluff ball back into Max’s arms. “I think you should give the damn thing a name.”

_“_ _René_ _.”_

_“_ _René_? Why kind of bloody name is that?” Zaeed raised an eyebrow at Max.

_“_ _René Descartes.”_

He held up his hand to stop her from continuing. “Please do not quote anymore bloody old, dead men at me.”

“I quote women too,” Max retorted while burying her face in the soft fur of the meowing kitten. “He needs food.”

“Of course.”

“And toys, and a bed, and a collar, and toys.”

“ _Max.”_

“I think; therefore I am.” She tried to dissuade the kitten from climbing up her flowery t-shirt.

“I said no quoting dead old men.” He held his hand up when she started to speak. “No more bloody quotes.”

“ _Ever?_ ”

“Yes.”

“ _Papa._ ”

“A day?”

“Fine.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Home Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88884184766/evocativesynthesis-bruno-tarsia-interiors  
> Bedroom Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88318413516/lesvicesimaginaires-source  
> Kitten Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88692940501  
> Josie Shepard(adult face reference): http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88272733436


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enj

It wasn’t all that easy to be patient at eight years of age. Max sat on the stone wall running along the outside of the playground in front of her school. Her papa was supposed to pick her up _early_ …he was an hour late.

With a tired sigh, Max hopped down to the pavement to walk home. It wasn’t a very long walk, maybe he’d gotten wrapped up in whatever bounty he was working on at the moment. He didn’t like talking about bounties with her. She skipped along with her backpack bouncing on her back. She twisted her head to the side when a dog barked and she ran straight into someone on the street.

Max stumbled away and her bag fell behind her. She glanced up at the man who had a hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling to the ground. He wore an Alliance uniform. She recognized it since Josie’s parents were both in the Alliance.

His blue eyes twinkled down at her as he asked if she was okay. Max nodded while muttering an apology. She stepped back but her foot caught in the strap of her backpack. Her leg twisted painfully as she fell.   She tumbled to the pavement and then clutched her ankle.

The man immediately crouched down beside her to check on her ankle. His fingers were gentle on her leg. He told her it was likely just a sprain. Max shrugged at him. She tried to get to her feet, but crumpled with a cry when her leg hurt. He lifted her up then grabbed her bag off of the ground. She pointed across the street to the large building where she lived.

_Papa was not going to be very happy._

Max looked solemnly up at the dark-haired man. She could see little bits of grey in his hair. “Papa makes waffles when I feel bad. You should stay for them.”

“I don’t think your Papa will appreciate an extra guest.” He winked at her. “I’m Steven Hackett.”

“Max.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “Maxine Massani. Papa makes good waffles.”

“I’m sure he does.”

“You should stay.” She frowned when he shook his head. “You can meet my…”

“ _Maxine Adrienne.”_

 _“_ Papa.” She glanced worriedly at Zaeed. Her worry turned to confusion as his eyes kept darting over to the man carrying her. She didn’t understand the look on his face. “This is Steven. I hurt my foot. We want waffles.”

“Waffles?”

“Blueberry and cream cheese waffles.” Max patted Steven’s shoulder. He seemed like a very nice man and Zaeed kept staring at him. “Can he have waffles too?”

“It’s not…”

Max crossed her arms and glared at him. “You don’t like waffles?”

“ _Max._ ” Zaeed reached out to take her from the Alliance officer. He motioned for the man to follow them. “She’ll turn those puppy dog brown eyes on you and trust me when I say there’s not a goddamn thing you’ll be able to do to resist.”

“Duly noted.”

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Josie_

_Subj: Adults._

_I think my Papa likes my new friend Steven._

_We had waffles for lunch and they kept staring at each other._

_Like staring, but not angry staring like your parents do. More like friendly staring, like the way _René_ stares at his kitty treats._

_I hurt my ankle so I have to stay home tomorrow. Can you copy the coursework for me?_

_Max_

* * *

 

Zaeed sat in the dark brown armchair in his bedroom staring moodily into his tumbler of whiskey. He’d insisted on taking Max to the nearby Emergency Clinic to ensure her ankle wasn’t seriously injured. He insisted on it before he caved and made waffles.

One of the doctors had wrapped Max’s sprained ankle up and sent them home. With her obsession with anything doctor related, Max immediately attempted to fix _René’s hind leg when they returned home. The kitten wasn’t as cooperative as she had been. He’d been highly amused by her attempts though._

_Bloody cat._

He eventually made waffles for her, and the goddamn straight-laced Alliance bastard with blue eyes. He couldn’t quite get the damn shade of blue out of his mind. He also remembered with amazing clarity the way Steven Hackett’s uniform fit his body, particularly his ass. The twinkle from the man had told Zaeed that he knew the effect he’d been having on him.

_It was better for everyone when the man finally left._

”Papa?” Max limped into his room with her little bear dangling from one arm.

She hadn’t carried the thing around with her for a while. He turned the light on in the room and bit back a laugh when he realized she’d given up on doctoring the kitten and moved on to the bear instead. The little stuffed toy had bandages all over his furry body.

“Ma petite.” He lifted her up into his lap and laughed when she wrinkled her nose at his attempt at French. “Something wrong?”

“Why couldn’t the doctors fix Maman and Père like they fixed my ankle?” Max asked softly. Her fingers clutched around the stuffed bear.

“I don’t know.”

“I wanna be a doctor so I can fix things.” She looked up at him so seriously he had to turn away to keep from smiling. “Don’t laugh, Papa.”

“Sorry.”

She smacked him on the head with her bear. “’s not very nice.”

“Who said I was a nice goddamn man?” He kissed the bear when she held it up insisting on him kissing the bloody thing better.

“Me.”

“Hmm,” he grumbled.

“Can we invite Steven over for dinner again?”

“No.”

“ _Please?_ ” She muttered in French to her bear when he shook his head. “Why not?”

“Why do you want the goddamn bastard to come for dinner?” Zaeed still found it surprising that Max never seemed to pick up his swearing habit. The most he’d ever heard her utter was a few words in French when she stubbed her toe.

She glanced up with a serious look on her face. “I want to figure out why you keep staring at him.”

“I don’t stare.”

“You do too. Like this.” Max widened her eyes and stared blankly up at him. “Like that.”

“I…” Zaeed gulped down the rest of his whiskey. “I have never looked at anyone like that in my entire goddamn life.”

“One dinner.”

_“No.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Food Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88781050196/itscookery-brie-blueberry-waffle-grilled


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

"Finished." Max slammed her book shut and shoved it aside with a sigh of relief.  " _Vive la liberté_."

Zaeed glanced up from his terminal to raise an eyebrow at the nine year old. "Freedom is it?"

"I finished my book for the stupid report. Why can’t I read books I want to read for class? I don’t care about stupid magic and dragons and castles; I wanted to read the biography on Emilie du Chatelet." She slid down in her chair then shot to her feet. "We should celebrate. Can I invite Josie over? Maybe Steven."

" _Max."_

"You're going to say 'stop your goddamn meddling you insolent brat. How am I meddling? I like Steven. He’s nice. You like him, you stare at him. Why do you stare at him?" Max dodged his hand to head into the kitchen to find a piece of fruit to snack on. "Please, Papa?"

"No."

" _Please_?" She scooped up her little cat and petted his head while smiling sweetly at Zaeed. "One dinner."

"It's always one goddamn dinner then you manage to invite the bastard over for another one." He grumbled at her.

“Do you like Steven?”

“That is not the bloody point.”

Max scrunched her face up as she watched him closely for a moment. She took a bite of her apple. “You only get this cranky when I’m right and you won’t want me to know it.”

“Did you sneak into the medical section at the library again?” Zaeed had already received several notes from her teachers about her reading medical journals and references beyond her years.

“ _Non._ ”

He snatched the apple from her and took a bite. “My little doctor. And what are the goddamn rules about getting in trouble at school for borrowing books?”

“Don’t get caught?”

“That’s goddamn right.” Zaeed handed her the apple. “How about we go _out_ for dinner and I’ll see if Steven wants to join us?”

“I have to find the right dress.” Max set the kitty down and ran down the hallway.

Zaeed rolled his eyes as he watched her then sent a quick message to Hackett to see if he was interested in joining them. He wandered over to snoop through Max’s bookbag. He didn’t mind her reading the medical journals. She didn’t understand most of what she read. She usually lay on the floor of her room with a journal and a dictionary to try to understand.

Her teachers thought her obsession with the personal stories from doctors about their tougher cases was unhealthy. Zaeed knew his _little Doctor_. She wanted to cure her parents, and they were beyond her help, so now she wanted to help others.

_Except she was all of nine and a half._

He chuckled every time he stepped into her bedroom. The little lunatic bandaged every single one of her toys. He’d bought a child’s doctor kit that came with medi-gel. She used it on _all_ of them, insisting it would make them all better.

Her teacher had pulled him into a conference to ask him to kindly have a serious talk with Max about sneaking into the sections of the library reserved for the older students. Zaeed had told her not to get caught the next damn time. _Stupid bloody teachers._ The only trouble his daughter got into was borrowing books from the library.

_What kind of goddamn kid did shit like that?_

“Papa?”

He glanced over to see her in one of her sundresses. “Hmm?”

“Why do Josie’s parents yell so much?” Max sat on the edge of the couch to tighten the buckles on her shoes.

“Because…” Zaeed stopped himself from saying Josie’s dad was a complete and utter bastard, cause he was but Max didn’t need to hear it. “Some adults really like to talk loudly.”

Max stopped fidgeting with her left shoe and frowned. “You don’t yell at me.”

“Is this why you and Josie have been here most of the time instead of at her home?” Zaeed had been trying to figure out Max seemed so uncomfortable when he dropped her off and tense when he brought her home. She never handled adults yelling well. He’d had a few very _terse_ conversations with _all_ of her teachers before she attended school to ensure they understood. “If you get scared, you send me a message.”

“Je le sais.” She wrinkled her nose at him after a moment. “I know.”

“ _Good._ Now let’s get to the goddamn restaurant you meddling little fiend.” Zaeed directed her toward the door.

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Studying._

_I can’t, I’m grounded._

_Dad said you can come over here._

_Please?_

* * *

 

_Josie_

It was an hour after Zaeed dropped off Max that he received a message from Captain Shepard. They couldn’t find Max anywhere. He did something he _never_ did…panicked. _Briefly_. He raced out of the apartment while sending a message to Hackett to see if he could help look for her. His initial reaction was to head through the streets, but it would be a waste.

_Max was too goddamn smart to wander aimlessly._

He went first to the Shepards place to see what Josie knew. When the little girl explained her parents had gotten into yet another screaming match, Zaeed turned his ire on them. They had apparently not realized the kids were in the room. Max had asked to use their terminal and Josie’s father had snapped angrily at her.

Zaeed grabbed the man by the back of the neck and dragged him down the hallway into the privacy of one of the bedrooms. “I don’t give a damn about the issues you are having in your marriage. If you ever scream or even raise your goddamn voice at my daughter, I will make bloody sure you can’t speak for weeks. Are we clear?”

“Did you just…”

“I _said_ are we clear?” Zaeed growled. He waited for a sharp nod from the Alliance officer. “Good. Now I’m going to find my goddamn daughter.”

He grabbed Max’s backpack from the floor of the living room and stormed back out of the apartment. Hackett waited for him on the sidewalk outside the building. He’d used his connections with the Alliance to have one of the Alliance security team member check through the security vids to see where Max had gone. It didn’t take long to trace her to a spot a few blocks away where they found her sitting on a boulder that looked over Lavender Bay.

Max heard the sounds of their boots as they moved up the rocks and glanced over her shoulder at them. “ _Merde._ ”

“Hey kiddo.” Hackett took her bag from Zaeed then stepped away to let them have time together. “I’ll be at the noodle place across the street.”

Zaeed eased down to sit beside Max. “Why’d you run?”

“I just wanted to message you ‘cause I wanted to come home.” Max ripped the leaves from the small tree branch in her hands. “I…got scared.”

Zaeed put his arm around her. “I think it’s time to get you an omni-tool. I’m not risking you running around the bloody city because you can’t find a terminal.”

“ _Sorry.”_

He reminded himself to lower his voice then lifted her into his lap. “Why the bloody hell did you come here anyway?”

“Maman always liked the water.” Max rested her head against his chest. “I wanted to hear it again.”

Zaeed didn’t really know what to say to that so he just tightened his arms around her.

“I loved them,” Max sighed wistfully. She tilted her head back so her brown eyes met his. “I love you too though.”

“I…”

“S’ok.” Max continued unaware of the sudden tightness Zaeed felt in his chest. “I told my bear that I loved you to practice…cause…I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to say it. Is it wrong?”

Zaeed kissed the top of her head and stood up. “I think we should go meet Steven before he runs off with your school books.”

“Papa?”

“It’s not _wrong,_ Max _.”_ He set her down and took her hand in his. “I love you too.”

                                                    

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Ms. Dempsey._

_Mean old teacher. We weren’t even the ones talking. It’s ‘cause she doesn’t like my dad for some reason. I dunno._

_Did you tell your Dad about the father-daughter day festival on Saturday? You should tell him even if he is away on a job right now._

_Why can’t you stay with me when he goes away? You could keep Rene with you._

_Josie_

_P.S. Did you finish your 21 st Century History homework? I’m stuck on question six._

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Josie_

_Subj: re: Ms. Dempsey._

_I was gonna tell him but he looked so tired. I dunno. It doesn’t matter._

_Papa doesn’t want me to stay anywhere but at school when he’s gone for more than a day._

_I found the answer to question 6 on page 77._

_Max_

* * *

 

René had been left with Steven. Max had promised to convince her Papa to go on a date with him in exchange for his taking care of her cat. Zaeed seemed a little suspicious about the man’s readiness to deal with her ‘furry little hellion.’ She’d been glad he was too busy getting ready to leave to ask her about it.

Sitting in class on Friday, Max listened to some of her classmates talking about the father-daughter day festival. She always missed Zaeed when he went on bounties. This just made it worse. She dreaded spending all day alone in her room at school to avoid her _happy_ roommates with their parents.

With a few ‘borrowed’ library books, Max did indeed spend Saturday hidden in her room with her teddy bear, a book on the history of 20th century medicine and a dictionary for the words she didn’t understand. She slammed the diary shut and shoved it all away from her. She used a lined journal to take notes on some of the things she read. She sighed quietly while looking at the picture of her Papa and her on her nightstand.

“Should I message him?” She asked her bear who had no answers for her.

* * *

 

_Inter-Relay Text Chat_

_Location: Sydney_

_From: Max_

_To: Papa_

_M:_ _âllo._

_M: Are you busy?_

_P: I’m always bloody busy._

_M: Papa._

_P: Hold on a goddamn minute, Little Fiend, I need to reset something on my omni-tool._

_User has disconnected._

* * *

 

Zaeed shut his omni-tool down then reached up to knock on the door in front of him. He leaned against the nearby wall waiting for the door to open. He laughed at the stunned look on Max’s face when she spotted him. He crouched down to catch her when she launched herself at him.

“ _Papa!”_ She began talking excitedly in French too fast for his translator to keep up. She finally slowed down enough to take a breath then smiled up at him. “I missed you.”

“I was gone for three goddamn days.”

“Still missed you.” Max wrapped her spindly arms around his neck. “Are you here for the festival?”

“Which festival?” Zaeed scowled playfully at her then set her on her feet. “The festival you neglected to mention when I told you I’d been gone for three weeks? That goddamn festival? The one you're supposed to bring your father too?”

_“Merde.”_

His shoulders shook as he laughed at her. “Hmm. Did you forget that along with forgetting the promise you made to Hackett when he said he’d look after the furry menace?”

“ _Merde.”_

“So you bloody said.” Zaeed ruffled the shoulder length brown hair on the ten year old. “Why are you in your room anyway? Shouldn’t you be at the _festival_?”

Max lifted her shoulders then dropped them. “Yeah.”

He rested one hand on her shoulder to guide her down the hall. “I’m sorry your parents died, Max. I know it can’t be easy with things like this to not have your _real_ Papa here.”

“You are my Papa.”

Zaeed glanced down at the girl now hugging him tightly. “Yes, I am. It doesn’t mean you have to forget your parents either.”

“Je sais.” Max took his hand as they continued to walk out of the boarding dormitories towards the football pitch where the tents for the event had been set up. “I love them, and you. You were busy.”

“Not too goddamn busy for this.” Zaeed frowned at the clown wandering towards them. “On second thought, I’m too goddamn busy for a bloody clown.”

“ _Papa.”_

“Can’t I just take you out for whatever the hell that stew is you like so bloody much? I’ll even invite Steven.” He glared at the approaching clown who immediately backed away. “I’ll buy you a chocolate croissant. I’ll buy you three of the goddamn things. I’ll buy you a new bloody kitten.”

“Really?”

“Well, not the kitten.”

“Daube Provençale.” Max took his hand to drag him toward one of the games. “It’s yummy. Can we have it for dinner? Are you going on your bounty?”

“I wrapped the bounty up early.” Zaeed found himself standing in front of one of the rigged carnival games he hated with a passion. He glared at the teenager holding the laser gun out to him. He smirked when the kid grabbed a teddy bear and handed it to him before Zaeed even took the gun. “Smart boy.”

“That’s cheating, Papa.” Max smiled at him while grabbing the blue stuffed animal. She pressed her face against it. “We can go.”

“ _Max.”_ Zaeed knelt in front of her after pulling her into a more secluded area behind one of the tents. “We can stay as long as you goddamn want.”

“Yeah, but…” Max played with one of the bear’s ears. “I’d rather spend time with you…and Steven, then here. It’s kinda loud.”

He wondered if Max was ever going to get accustomed to people yelling. Loud voices still made her jumpy even if they weren’t _angry_. He sent a quick message to Hackett to see if he was interested in dinner then lead Max away from the event. She leaned her head against his arm as they walked.

“Why don’t we pick up your clothes and books so we can take them home?” Zaeed found himself grinning when Max hopped around in front of him. She raced off in front of him to get to her room. He wasn’t surprised to find she was almost completely packed when he caught up to her. “In a hurry, Little Fiend?”

“Croissant,” Max said the one word like a goddamn prayer.

“All this rush for a bloody pastry?” Zaeed teased her.

Max paused with the last of her books in her hand. “No.”

“Then?”

“I get to go home,” she answered simply with a shrug. “I love home.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Food Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/89983723986/making-you-hungry-daube-provencale-french-beef


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

A few days after the festival, Zaeed took Max over to the Shepard’s for the evening so he could have his damn dinner with Hackett. He had intended to just make it another one of their _group_ meals. Max had _other_ ideas.

_Goddamn interfering little fiend._

Max spent two hours going through his closet to find his ‘nice jeans.’ She shoved a dark blue pair into his hands then began searching for the _perfect_ shirt. Zaeed didn’t have the heart to stop her since she clearly had her heart set on making everything _perfect_. _Ten year olds._ She finally selected a sleek, black button-up shirt for him.  She _insisted_ on his not wearing the dirty boots, but the shiny ones.

And then Max sat him down and paced in front of him while she gave him her _sage_ advice for a date. Zaeed had trouble containing his laughter as she told him not to be grumpy and to be nice. She also thought he should avoid yelling.

His goddamn daughter had damn near driven him insane with all of it, even if it was bloody adorable. It continued all the way up until he dropped her off to study with Josie. She hugged him then told him to smile at Steven because apparently the man seemed very distracted whenever Zaeed smiled.

_Bloody fiend._

He dragged her into another hug. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Papa.” She skipped into the Shepard’s quarters with a wave.

* * *

 

Max paced anxiously in Josie’s room. They were supposed to be studying, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything at the moment. She was consumed with worry that her Papa would ruin his date with Steven and then he’d go away. She liked the Alliance officer. He brought her little treasures he found when he was on tour. He’d brought her a rock from some planet in another system the other day.

“Where are they eating?” Josie swung her legs back and for the as she sat on her bed.

“The place down the street that makes the fried ice cream.” Max couldn’t remember the name, but she definitely remembered the ice cream.

“We could go watch them.” Josie exchanged a grin with her.

Their grins faded when the sounds of yet another loud argument erupted from the living room. Max flinched when a thud echoed. Mrs. Shepard tended to punch walls when she was upset. Max took Josie’s hand and squeezed it as the yelling escalated.

“Let’s go.” She nodded to the large window in her friend’s room.

It wasn’t all that difficult to climb out of the window since the Shepard’s new apartment was on the first floor. They shimmied out and stumbled into the bushes that went around the building. The two girls giggled as they plucked leaves out of each other’s hair.

They ran the four blocks to where the restaurant was. It had a great view of the nearby Lavender Bay. Max knew Zaeed was going to be angry, but she really didn’t want to stay at Josie’s house with her parent’s fighting again. They ducked behind a wall when they spotted the two men seated at a table near a large window in the back of the restaurant.

“We’re going to be in so much trouble,” Max groaned when Josie dragged her inside the restaurant.

“Shh.” Josie pointed to a booth they could hide behind and be able to listen in to the conversation between Zaeed and Steven. “C’mon.”

They had _just_ crouched down behind the booth when a strong hand grabbed Max by the back of the shirt and lifted her up. She wiggled around until she realized who was holding her. She muttered a few choice words in French as Zaeed carried both her and Josie out of the restaurant. He didn’t say anything as he took them back to the Shepard’s to drop Josie off.

Steven followed them in his skycar and joined them at their apartment. He ignored Zaeed’s attempts to send him away. Max sat on the couch with her legs pulled up and her arms around them. Her eyes followed her Papa as he paced the room.

“Why?”

Max jerked a little when he finally spoke. “I dunno.”

“ _Why?”_

Between the arguing at Josie’s house, Max was already close to her limit when Zaeed loomed over her to tell the question for a second time. She bolted from the couch and tore down the hall to her room. She scrunched herself into the hidey-hole in her cabinet and sealed it behind her. Her teddy bear crushed to her chest. She could hear René scratching to be let in.

* * *

 

_From: Hannah Shepard_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: Punishment._

_Josie has been grounded for the next three weeks._

_Sneaking out appears to have been her idea, though I think the fact that my husband and I were having yet another loud argument might have encouraged Max to agree with the plan. My husband and I are not violent people, but we have been known to punch a wall._

_It might have frightened Max._

_I apologize._

_Don’t be too hard on the girl._

_Hannah_

* * *

 

“Goddamn it.” Zaeed shut his omni-tool and glanced up to find Hackett offering him a glass of whiskey. He took a sip and tried to calm down. “She…”

“You don’t owe me an explanation.” Hackett moved closer until he had to widen his stance to avoid his shoes bumping against Zaeed’s. “I enjoyed this evening, as short as it was.”

“Max was on the street for a year before I found her. She doesn’t like to be yelled at.” Zaeed refused to back down from the man but figured an explanation would be a deterrent…or at least a stall. “I need to go talk to her.”

“Why don’t I fix dinner for the three of us? I doubt she had time to eat and we certainly hadn’t even had time to touch our meal.” Hackett bent forward slowly until his lips were a lick away. Zaeed had never been good with resisting temptation. His free hand came up to grab the man by the neck while he closed the distance between their lips. Hackett cleared his throat a few times when they finally separated. “Go coax your daughter out, I’ll make dinner.”

“Don’t get too goddamn comfortable in my bloody house,” Zaeed grumbled.

“Oh, don’t worry, Massani, I plan on being _very_ comfortable in your life, your house and your bed.” Hackett wandered over to the kitchen and disregarded the spluttering Zaeed completely.

“ _Bloody bastard._ ”

He headed down the hall into Max’s room where he found her tiger-striped kitten meowing plaintively out of one of the cupboard doors. He took a seat on the floor and lifted René into his lap. He leaned his back against one of the other cabinets.

“Max.”

 _“_ Steven is making dinner for the three of us.” Zaeed wanted to get her out of her little safe place so he could talk to her. “He kissed me.”

There was a very quiet gasp, followed by an ‘ew’ and then the door banged open. Max scooped her cat up then took his place in Zaeed’s lap. She rested her head against his chest.

“I don’t wanna stay at Josie’s anymore.” Max hid her face in René’s fur.

“I’m not letting you stay with the goddamn idiots.” Zaeed laughed when Max immediately cheered up because she could blame him for it. “I’m sorry, Max, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“S’ok.” She stared down at her kitten. “Sorry I snuck out.”

“We’re going to work on your goddamn sneaking abilities.” Zaeed didn’t feel like punishing her.

“Did you really kiss Steven?” She scrunched her nose up. “That’s so gross.”

“Give it a few years.” Zaeed tapped her wrist after a moment. “Next time, use your bloody omni-tool.”

“Yes, Papa.” Max waved one of the cat’s paws at him. “We wanted to make sure you were being nice on your date.”

“Impudent Little Fiend.”

“I’m hungry.” Max set the cat down and got to her feet. She skipped down the hall into the kitchen where they found Hackett turning some of their leftovers into a fried rice dish. She glanced between the two men for a few minutes then grabbed Hackett’s arm. “No kissing when I’m in the room ‘cause it’s gross.”

“ _Max.”_

“What?” She darted from the room when Zaeed flicked water at her.

“ _Bloody hell.”_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Sitting at a table in the school library, Max flitted between three reference books, a datapad and a terminal. She had been working on a class project for her Psychology course. It was the elective she’d chosen when moving in to year nine. She deleted a paragraph then started over. Josie flopped down in a chair across from her out of breath a moment later. Her friend still wore her gear from cross-country event.

“So? Are you coming to the party or not?” Josie waved her hand impatiently in front of Max’s face. “Well?”

“No.” Max swatted the sweaty hand out of her face. “I already told you no last week.”

“You’re thirteen, live a little.” Josie started closing Max’s books when she ignored her. “Seriously, Max? What’s your damage?”

“Stop it.” Max scowled at her friend who’d managed to lose her place in two of the books. _Merde._ “I don’t want to go to a stupid party. I don’t want to play charades for the millionth time. I don’t want to kiss boys in the closet who have stinky breath. And I don’t want to tell ghost stories.”

“Why won’t you come to my house anymore? It’s not just about the party, is it?” Josie pouted with a huff of indignation. “Think you’re too good for a sporty friend?”

 _“Josie Shepard.”_ She glared at her friend. “Don’t be stupid. You know exactly why I won’t go to your house.”

“He just teases you.”

Max started shoving her books into the pretty white and blue rucksack Steven had brought to her from his tour in London the year before.   She saved her essay to a disc then slid it into the front pocket of her bag. “I have to get home. Steven’s visiting Papa so we’re having a big dinner.”

“But my party…”

“You won’t even miss me. The last time I went to one of your stupid parties, I spent the entire time in your room reading and you didn’t even realize it.” Max rolled her eyes at her friend.

Grabbing her bag and hall pass, Max stomped out of the library muttering to herself in French. The fight with Josie came too close to conflict she usually preferred to avoid at all costs. The trouble was it had been building since before the school term started.

The Shepards were all very competitive, intense and sporty. According to her psychology text book, they were _type-A._ Josie certainly had her father’s obsession with being the best. It started to make her friend focus more on sports at school, less on her other classes. Max had trouble walking in a straight line some days; sports of any kind were completely beyond her.

It didn’t seem like a huge issue until Josie invited her to go on holiday with her family a few weeks before school started. Max let them pester her into playing a game of volleyball on the beach. Mr. Shepard picked on her relentlessly for missing the ball whenever it flew in her direction. She’d been on his team, he didn’t like losing. She spent the rest of the trip reading on the beach and tuning his jokes out.

Knowing how he would respond, Max neglected to mention the teasing to her Papa. Josie laughed it all off and said she was being too sensitive. It wasn’t worth arguing about, but now she stayed as far away from Mr. Shepard as she could get.

“Don’t run, klutz, you might break something.”

Max stumbled as she looked around trying to spot the mocking voice. _Merde_. “Mr. Shepard.”

“Have you seen my Josie?” He loomed over her intimidatingly. She never understood why he seemed to enjoy alternately teasing and scaring her. “She had a race today.”

“Library.” Max edged around him, but stopped when his arm shot out to block her path. “Sir?”

“You haven’t been around much lately. Why is that? Hmm? Scared maybe?” He sneered at her.

Max ducked under his arm and ran out of the gate before he could say anything else. She didn’t stop until she slid into the living room at home where she promptly fell face-first on the couch. It was too early for her Papa to be home so she cried herself out with her cat curled up by her head.

“I have a chocolate croissant and a bottle of that awful cream soda you seem to love.” Zaeed leaned over the back of the couch and reached down to lift her up into a seated position. “Now, while you eat the croissant, I want you to tell me who the bloody hell made my goddamm Little Fiend cry.”

“And where can we find them?” Steven wandered out of the kitchen with a plate and a bottle of soda in his hand. He held both of them out to her. “I picked up the croissant while I was in Calais this morning.”

Max picked at the pastry for a moment as the two men sat in the arm chairs across from the couch. She finally set the plate aside and met Zaeed’s gaze. “Remember the holiday trip I took with Josie?”

“I’m going to kill the goddamn bastard,” Zaeed muttered angrily after she’d told them about everything.

Setting her croissant on the coffee table, Max threw herself into her Papa’s arms. She’d been worried that when she did eventually tell him about it, he’d tell her to stop being so sensitive. It was a relief when he immediately took her side.

“Max?”

She sat cross-legged on the arm of the chair and looked up at Zaeed. “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

_“Merde.”_

_“Max.”_

“Am I too sensitive?” Max tried to avoid answering his question. “Josie thinks I’m too sensitive.”

“Josie’s a…” Zaeed caught himself in time though Max frowned at him. “She’s wrong, and her father is _wrong_. And I’m going to make sure the goddamn bastard leaves you the hell alone.”

“ _Papa.”_

“Don’t worry, Little Fiend, I’ll take Steven with me.” Zaeed grimaced when she offered him some of her soda. “Nasty goddamn shit.”

Max glanced between the two men with a sinking feeling. “I dunno if Steven is any better than you going to speak to Mr. Shepard.”

“Now, Maxine Massani, I’m hurt and disappointed.” Hackett’s lips twitched as he tried to keep a straight face. “I’m an Alliance Admiral. Do you think I’d sacrifice a blemish free record to beat the shit out of Josie’s father?”

_“Oui.”_

“Then you are a very smart girl.” He winked at her.

“ _Merde.”_

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: Thanks so much._

_For ruining my party._

_What the hell did you tell your dad anyway? He just barged into our place with his boyfriend and they dragged my dad outside to talk to him. I dunno what they said, but my dad was…weird when he came inside and he sent all my friends home._

_What did you do? I know you said something. Why’d you do that? My parents argue enough as it is._

_Josie_

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Josie_

_Subj: re: Thanks so much._

_I didn’t do anything._

_Your dad is a jerk, I’m sorry but he is and you know it._

_Max_

* * *

 

The next morning Max sat at the little kitchen table watching Zaeed making her favorite blueberry waffles for breakfast. She giggled into her orange juice when Steven walked in wearing one of Zaeed’s t-shirts and a pair of sweat pants. He walked over to kiss her Papa then slumped into a seat beside her.

“Morning.”

Max grinned at him after wiping the juice mustache off of her face. “So…what _exactly_ did you do to Mr. Shepard?”

“We didn’t _do_ anything, we had a very short conversation.” Hackett reached out for the book Max was reading. “Louis Pasteur?”

“Fortune…”

“No quoting old dead French scientists before I’ve had goddamn coffee.” Zaeed interrupted her. He scowled at Max when she started to laugh at him. “Save me from the goddamn fiend.”

“No.” Hackett ignored Zaeed and continued flipping through the book. “So why are you reading about Louis Pasteur?”

Max hesitated for a second unsure of whether or not he was really interested. She finally turned the book to a chapter on Pasteur’s vaccination work. “I want to understand how he did this. I…my parents died of a disease that still doesn’t have a vaccine. I want to find one.”

“Have a goddamn waffle first.” Zaeed set a plate in front of her. He closed her book and set it on the counter. “You can change the bloody world after your breakfast.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bag Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/90352906426


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

 It was three days after her fifteenth birthday that Josie started to talk to Max again and another year before they’d rebuilt their friendship. The connection helped along by the fact Mr. Shepard’s animosity had been transferred completely to Zaeed and Steven. She thought it was a little weird he left her alone now, but missed her best friend too much to question it.

Her tenth year in school had been focused on a curriculum that would fill in her academic CV. Max spent a portion of her free time volunteering at local clinics as well. She intended to apply to Harvard for her undergraduate studies in neurobiology and psychology with hopes to then transfer after four years to the Harvard Medical School since it was the best in the world. Her long term goals were to then apply for an internship in Paris or London at one of the premiere hospitals in the world.

The _plan_ to create a vaccination had faded over the years as Max grew older. She now wanted to work with biotics. Josie had been exposed to Eezo at fourteen. Max had been inspired by her friend’s struggles with her implant, amps and powers in general. She wanted to work with young biotics, maybe ease their path in the world.

When Josie explained to her dad about Max’s interest in studying biotics, Mr. Shepard invited over a few young Alliance recruits who were biotics for her to meet. He thought it might help her to see first-hand what a trained biotic could do. She started to grow especially close to one of the younger men, George.

He was nineteen, handsome…better looking than any of the boys in Sydney that she knew. Josie seemed immune and a little uncomfortable around him. Mr. Shepard told them both not to worry; he was a good kid, popular with the other marines. He whispered in an aside to Max that he thought his daughter might be a little jealous of the attention George gave to her.

It was her first real crush. Max hadn’t really been interested in a boy before now. Her school was all girls, and her time outside of school was filled with so many extracurricular activities she didn’t have time to _hang-out_. Her nose was usually buried in a medical journal so the boys tended to pay more attention to the vivacious and extroverted Josie.

_Not George._

He smiled at _her_ not Josie.

And then…he’d kissed her.

Max had never been kissed. He’d waited until they were outside in the dark after barbeque at the Shepard’s house to do it. She might not have any experience, but George did. _Too much experience_. She panicked when his hands drifted up her legs under the hem of her dress.

He stopped when Max slapped him for laughing at her. He just smirked at her and sneered that he wasn’t getting paid enough to deal with sheltered little girls who needed to stay in the fucking library.  She stayed in the shadows of the backyard feeling utterly humiliated and confused.

_What had just happened?_

Instead of going inside, Max grabbed her bag and snuck out of the back gate to go home. She was supposed to be sleeping over with Josie, but…didn’t feel like dealing with any of it at the moment. It was three in the morning when she finally tiptoed into her apartment.

A leather jacket draped across the couch told her Steven was visiting from Arcturus. Max curled up on the couch and pulled the jacket over her after kicking her shoes across the room. René hopped up on cushion beside her head. She was plagued by two questions.

_Why had George mentioned being paid?_

_And what was she going to tell her Papa?_

Deciding the whole situation was too confusing for her to be able to sleep, Max got up slowly. She was still cold so she pulled on Steven’s jacket then wandered down the hall to knock quietly on Zaeed’s bedroom door. The only response her timid tapping received was a loud snore followed by a quieter one. She giggled then tapped a little lower before calling out for Zaeed.

“Papa?” She gave up tapping and banged her fist against the door until it slid open. She found herself face to face with her very grumpy looking Papa who appeared to have a sheet wrapped around him. _Merde._ “I…uhm… âllo.”

“If you woke me up to say hello, I’m going to goddamn drown you in the bay.” Zaeed grunted at her in annoyance. His glared turned into a confused frown after a moment. “Aren’t you supposed to be at Josie’s?”

“Oui.”

His angry glare was back. “What _did_ he do?”

“ _Papa._ ”

“Go sit in the goddamn living room while I put actual clothes on.” He eased her out of the doorway and the door slid shut in her face.

She sat on the couch with her cat in her lap while listening to Steven and Zaeed argue _quietly_ in the kitchen while they fixed cups of coffee for the three of them. Steven handed her a cup then smiled when he realized she had his jacket draped over her shoulders. They sat in the armchairs across from the couch and sipped coffee while waiting for her to say something.

“I…” Max dragged her hand through her hair. It was starting to get long again. She’d need to cut it soon. _Focus, Max._ _Merde._ “You’re going to get angry.”

“Max?” Zaeed looked _very_ concerned now. “In all the years I’ve known you, have I ever gotten angry or yelled at you?”

“No.”

“That isn’t going to change.”

“I kissed…well…no…he kissed…merde.” Max wanted to hide her face from the suddenly intense scrutiny of both men. “There’s this group of Alliance marines that have been coming over to the Shepards’ house for a while. They’re all biotics so I’ve been talking to them, you know for my research and stuff. One of them…he’s beautiful…and I thought he liked me.”

“ _Max._ ”

“We kissed, or he kissed me. It was really confusing. I freaked out when he wanted more, and he laughed at me and said he wasn’t being paid enough to deal with a little girl.” Max clutched at the mug in her hand. “Why would he say that? I don’t understand.”

She glanced up in time to see the look exchanged between the two men. Steven got to his feet and headed toward the bedroom while Zaeed moved to set beside her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Max asked Hackett when he returned dressed in his uniform.

“To mete out a little _Alliance_ justice.” He straightened out his sleeves then winked at her. “What’s the young lothario’s name?”

“George Hardy.”

“Hardy?” Hackett raised an eyebrow. “He’s a private, barely out of basic training. He’s in the new biotic program at the base here in Sydney. His commanding officer is…”

“Steven?” Zaeed prompted. “Who the bloody hell is his CO?”

“Shepard.”

“I’ll kill the goddamn bastard.” Zaeed shot off of the couch, but Max grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

“No.” She shook her head. “Let Steven do it, he won’t get tossed in the brig.”

“I wouldn’t be that goddamn sure of it.” Zaeed smirked as Steven stormed out of the apartment. “So…why exactly were you kissing _George_?”

“Why do you kiss Steven?”

“ _Touché_.”

“It was my first one.” Max felt suddenly dejected and she slumped back against the couch cushions.

“I’m sorry, little Fiend. Are you sure I can’t go beat his ass?” He wrapped his arm around her again.

“Maybe later.”

“I know it’s a bloody confusing mess when you’re a teenager, but try not to just kiss every handsome face that comes along. You deserve more than some goddamn fool of a boy using you.” Her Papa looked very uneasy with the topic of conversation. “And we’re going to get you a goddamn birth control shot in the morning.”

“ _Papa.”_

“I don’t give a shit if it was just a kiss.”

“ _Merde.”_

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: Admiral Hackett._

_He is awesome._

_My mom finally decided to kick my dad out of the house. She found out he paid George to try and kiss you then dump you. What a jerk, both of them. I can’t believe my dad did that. I mean I love him, he’s my dad, but that was just totally screwed up._

_I’m sorry, Max. I thought something was wrong with George._

_So Hackett showed up at my house at six this morning banging on the door. And he had George who admitted the whole story to my mom while my dad was sleeping. My mom kicked my dad out in his boxers. It’s like a soap opera or something._

_Anyway so now George is in trouble and my dad is being reassigned to some remote base somewhere. I dunno, my mom seems happier than she has in years._

_Wanna meet at the bakery before school? I bet they have fresh croissants this morning._

_Josie_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

“Do you have a moment to talk?” Steven hesitated before taking a seat across from Max who was finishing up some of her homework at the kitchen table. “Max?”

“Oui?”

“ _Max.”_

She set the datapad in her hand aside and focused on him. He seemed to be fidgeting which she couldn’t remember _ever_ seeing him do. “Mon Dieu.”

“What’s wrong?”

“You want to ask him to marry you.” Max broke into a huge smile. “Don’t you? That’s so romantic.”

“Would you mind?” Steven reached across to hold her hand briefly. “I’d also like to legally adopt you, if it’s ok with you.”

“You want us to be a family.” Max played with her datapad, absently spinning it in circles on the flat surface of the table. “The three of us?”

“Would you…”

“Oui.” Max rambled rapidly in French to herself for a few minutes while blinking back happy tears. She grinned at Steven after getting her emotions in order. “Do you have a ring? No, not a ring, he won’t wear one. When are you going to propose? Is it a surprise? Does he know? Suspect? Where are…”

He held up his hand to stop her string of questions. “Slow down, Max. I can only answer one question at a time.”

“Sorry.”

“I don’t have a plan,” he admitted.

Max leaned forward in her chair with her arms resting on the table. “Can I help?”

“No flowers, no pink hearts, no…” Steven trailed off when he realized Max was giggling at him so hard she’d slid off of the chair to the floor. “ _Max_.”

“Pink hearts.” She rolled over on her back then tilted her head to kiss Rene on the head when he came over to check on her. “Not even one?”

“No.”

“ _Merde.”_

He walked around the table to help her up to her feet then blinked down at her in surprise when she hugged him. “Max?”

“I am _very_ happy.” She grabbed her books and raced to her bedroom to plan.

* * *

 

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Mr. Massani_

_Subj: My dad._

_I saw him outside school this morning. He didn’t see me. He’s not supposed to be here, and I don’t think it was me he was looking for._

_Maybe you could walk Max home after school?_

_I’ve got a game so I’m not leaving until six, but she’s supposed to volunteer at the hospital._

_Josie_

* * *

 

“Why can’t I just shoot the goddamn bastard now?” Zaeed grumbled at Steven.

The two men were watching Josie’s father from around a corner near the school. Zaeed didn’t like their plan. He wanted to grab the bastard now. Steven insisted if they waited until he approached Max, it would make getting him locked up much simpler since they had no proof that’s why he was there.

They waited for an hour before Max finally appeared. She stood chatting with several of her classmates and then headed down the walk toward the gate leading out of the school. Zaeed didn’t wait for Steven. He hopped over the little wall in front of them to keep pace with _his daughter_ and the bastard who was definitely trailing after her.

She disappeared around a corner and Zaeed had to pick up his pace. He felt a moment of panic when he rounded the corner and found her gone. He heard scuffling in an alley and raced toward it with Steven close behind.

“ _Let. Her. Go. Now.”_

Shepard glanced over at the two men which was all the distraction Max needed to slam her knee up into his groin to drop him on the ground. She leapt over him and ran into Zaeed’s arms. Steven sent a message to the local Alliance offices to get a few marines over to take the man into custody.

“Are you ok?” Zaeed checked Max over, but she seemed fine.

 _“Oui.”_ She smiled up at him. “Josie told me.”

“Goddamn it.”

“You expected by best friend to keep a secret from me?” Max raised her eyebrow at him in a fair imitation of one of his own looks. “Have you met us?”

_“Fiend.”_

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Josie_

_Subj: re: Proposal ideas._

_I like your picnic idea._

_What about the little rock garden by the bay? I think they rent it out for private parties. I’ll message them about it. Should I cook or get something from a restaurant for them?_

_If we can get the whole garden, we can decorate with lights._

_Max_

* * *

 

“ _Steven._ ” Max leaned out of her bedroom to whisper at the man as he walked down the hall. “C’mere.”

“Yes?”

She shoved two boxes into his hand. “For you, I know you didn’t want to do engagement rings, but…I got these for you. I’ve been saving up for a while.”

He lifted the lids to find identical woven cable bracelets. They were beautiful and intricate. “I can’t…”

“Just take Papa down to the rock gardens. It’s all ready for tomorrow evening.” Max stepped back when he tried to hand the boxes back to her. “Make him happy, please?”

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Picnic._

_Everything is set up._

_Mom helped me finish up with the lighting since you had to go grab the picnic basket and everything. All you have to do is bring the food and the blanket._

_When is Steven showing up with your Dad?_

_Josie_

* * *

 

“What the bloody hell…” Zaeed followed Steven through the rock garden towards the back area near the shoreline.

The garden was one of Max’s favorite places. Zaeed frowned in confusion when he realized the place was completely empty. Steven led him toward one of the large boulders where a blanket was spread out with a basket sitting in the center of it. There was a bucket with ice and bottles of beer. All around the area were strings of lights, and a circle of lanterns on the rock around the blanket itself.

“Steven?” Zaeed thought the man seemed just as surprised as he was. “Did Max plan this for us?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Hackett climbed up onto the flat surface to sit on the blanket. He tilted the picnic basket to show Zaeed the croissant sandwiches and other treats inside.

“What the bloody hell is all of this?” Zaeed refused to get up on the damn thing until he knew what was going on. He felt even more confused when Steven dropped to one knee in front of him. “What…”

“Marry me?”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Steven pulled two bracelets out of his pocket. “I asked Max for her permission. She gave it rather enthusiastically. She also thought we needed engagement bracelets.”

“Marry you.”

“I’m too damn old to kneel on a rock for forever, so say yes, then let’s eat and drink.” Steven reached hesitantly for Zaeed’s arm. “I love you. I love Max. Say yes.”

“Yes.” Zaeed refused to be dragged down into a kiss so he grabbed Steven by the shoulders to yank him up. He pressed him against the edge of the boulder while their lips met. He felt Steven’s fingers fumbling around then finally the bracelet dangled against his left wrist. “Marking your territory?”

“You got that right.” Steven flipped them around so Zaeed was between him and the hard rock wall. “How private do you think this garden is?”

“Not that goddamn private. I can see two teenagers through the bamboo over there.” Zaeed pointed to where Max and Josie where clearly trying to see what was going on. “ _Maxine Adrienne Massani._ ”

“Merde.” She trudged out from their hiding place. The two teenagers whispered to each other before facing them. “Did he say yes?”

“ _Max_.”

“Well?” She ignored Zaeed. She hopped up and down and hugged Zaeed tightly when Steven nodded yes. She told them Josie’s mom was picking them up in a few minutes. She smiled up at him. “There are security cameras, so don’t get naked out here.”

“ _Fiend._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bracelet Reference: http://www.davidyurman.com/men/bracelets/N1WNE/woven-cable-bracelet


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

It was three in the morning when quiet scratching woke Zaeed. He glared first at the snoring man in bed next to him then at the door. He stumbled toward it to strangle the bloody cat. René was spared his anger when Zaeed noticed the kitchen light on. He found Max curled up on the couch buried underneath a pile of blankets.

“Max?”

“I don’t fit in the cupboard anymore.” She peeked through a small break in the folds of fabric.

Hesitating for a moment, Zaeed considered his options while standing in the middle of the living room. Max didn’t usually want to be held after a panic attack, at least not immediately. He finally decided to sit on the coffee table in front of her. It was a second before her arm reached out and her hand gripped his.

Zaeed shifted the coffee table closer so Max wasn’t over-stretching her arm. He’d been meaning to create a new ‘safe zone’ for her. He knew the teenager had outgrown her cupboard. She hadn’t had a panic attack in a long time and it had slipped his mind.

“Remember the defense moves you wanted to teach me?” Her voice was muffled by the blankets.

“The ones that sent you into a goddamn panic?” Zaeed remembered quite clearly trying to convince a then eleven year old Max how to defend herself. He’d grabbed her arm to demonstrate and she’d panicked, neither of them had been anxious to try for a second time. “What about them?”

“Our physical education professor is holding a three day seminar next week on self-defense. I…” Max sat up slowly and started to shove the blankets away from her body. “Josie wanted to take the classes with me. She took it last year, and she’s always been into martial arts and all of that. Will you come too?”

“Why now?”

“The next time someone grabs me. I’d like to be able to do more than freeze.” Max wrinkled her nose then smiled when René hopped up on the couch beside her. “You won’t always be so close by.”

“If anyone every goddamn grabs you again, Little Fiend, you better scream your bloody head off then knee them in the groin immediately. Don’t _wait._ ” Zaeed watched her play with the bracelet on his arm. They hadn’t really had a chance to talk about the engagement or Mr. Shepard yet. “Max?”

“I’m _very_ happy for you, Papa.” Max tapped her fingers against one of the loops of the jewelry. “Do you mind that I picked it out?”

“Not a goddamn bit.”

“Is it too early for waffles?” Max pushed the last of the blankets away from her. “We haven’t had late night waffles in a long time.”

“That’s because I’m getting too fucking old for them.” Zaeed grabbed the cushion she tried to swat him in the face with. “ _Fiend._ ”

“Or we could wake up Steven.” Max got to her feet after a moment. She straightened out the light blue pajamas she wore then threw her arms around Zaeed’s neck. “I love you.”

“Still not making fucking waffles.”

“ _Papa._ ”

“You’re sixteen, make your own damn waffles,” he grumbled.

“Merde.”

An hour later, Steven stepped into the kitchen bleary eyed and confused at the sounds echoing in the apartment. He found Zaeed and Max in the middle of a battle. They were beaming blueberries across the room at each other. They stopped once Zaeed caught Steven in the forehead with one.

“What the hell are you two doing at four in the morning?”

“Target practice.” Max stood up from behind the island she’d been hiding behind only to catch a facefull of blueberries Zaeed launched at her. “ _Merde._ ”

“Why?” Hackett surveyed the disaster of a kitchen with a bemused grin.

“He wanted me to make my own waffles.” Max lifted her shoulders then yawned. “He started it.”

“I am _not_ surprised.” Hackett ducked the barrage of blueberries from Zaeed. “How about we clean up and _I_ make the waffles?”

“Bonne.” Max flicked one last berry at her Papa then started to clean up.

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: dance._

_Have you even told your Papa you have a date?_

_How bad could it be?_

_Josie_

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Josie_

_Subj: re: the dance._

_It requires stages._

_I have just gotten him used to the idea that I’m actually sixteen and not ten. Now I’m going to leave the prom dress hanging around._

_And maybe the day before I’ll tell him I have a date._

_Or…the day after._

_No, I’ll tell him now. I don’t like keeping things from him._

_Did you find your dress yet? _

_Max_

* * *

 

_From: Hannah Shepard_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: Dance._

_I wasn’t sure if you were aware of the upcoming dance being hosted at the school. It’s a combined dance between four of the local boarding schools. Two all-girl schools, two all-boy schools._

_Yes, that means precisely what you think it means. I know how protective over Max that you can be. I didn’t know if she’d told you yet._

_Hannah_

* * *

 

_Inter-Relay Text Chat_

_Location: Illium_

_From: Zaeed Massani_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_ZM: My daughter waited until I was on a bounty off of Earth to tell me not only is her school hosting a dance, but she has a date…with a boy._

_SH: I always knew she was a smart girl._

_ZM: Goddamn bastard._

_SH: What?_

_ZM: He’s a teenager._

_SH: Would you rather she date an adult?_

_ZM: No._

_ZM: She told me all about him, all about his parents, all about his school and the dance._

_SH: Someone needs to teach her how to lie by omission._

_ZM: Fiancé or not, I’ll shoot your goddamn ass if you even think about it. Max and I have always had an agreement about not lying to each other. I like it; I don’t want it to change._

_SH: So what’s the problem?_

_ZM: She’s going to get her goddamn heart broken._

_SH: Probably at least once._

_ZM: And I have to let it happen._

_SH: Yes._

_ZM: Should’ve left the goddamn fiend on the street in Biarritz._

_SH: Really?_

_ZM: Of course not. Best goddamn thing I ever did was adopt her, even if she does drive me up the blood wall._

_SH: Max? Drive you up the wall? She’s like the sweetest, most studious, serious kid on the planet._

_ZM: She’s going on a date with a boy to a dance while I’m on Illium._

_SH: My apologies, she’s clearly a deviant of the worst kind._

_ZM: Bastard._

_SH: Would you like me to act as a chaperone?_

_ZM: No, I trust her._

_SH: So you just want to whine about it?_

_ZM: Yes._

_SH: Why me?_

_ZM: Do you see anyone else with a goddamn bracelet on their arm? You want to marry me, you get to listen to my goddamn ‘whining’ about the fiend._

_SH: I suppose you’ll be worth the annoyance._

_ZM: Bastard._

_SH: I love you too._

_User has disconnected._


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Wedding Bells._

_Are you really surprised they want to elope? I’m not._

_You’re still a lucky brat. You get ten days out of school to hang out in Paris. And your ‘dads’ will be too busy doing things we won’t mention to pay attention to you. Sure I can’t come?_

_And I’ll be sure to take good care of the furry brat while you’re gone._

_Josie_

_P.S. I’ll even copy all the class notes for you. You can thank me later._

* * *

 

Max spent most of the weeks leading up to the wedding planning a small, but grand affair only to be told by her Papa not to bother. They decided to have the Alliance inter-faith chaplain meet them in the rock garden where they were engaged to marry them with just Max in attendance. She insisted they at least wear the suits she’d picked out for them, mostly because it meant she could wear the beautiful lilac dress she’d found for herself.

_René also attended in his own little suit and tie._

She intended to stay at home with Josie for company, but both Zaeed and Steven insisted on her joining them in Paris. They wanted to make it a family vacation. She agreed as along as her hotel room was as far away from theirs as possible.

It was nice to be in Paris though. Max blended into the crowds at the museums easily, speaking French and feeling at home. She spent most of her time in the History of Medicine Museum and another museum dedicated to hospitals in Paris. The two places were far more fascinating to her than any other would’ve been.

It was the most glorious vacation. Max even enjoyed having lunches by herself with her nose buried in a medical text book she’d found in a used book store. It covered medicine from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. She could’ve lived in the antique section of the bookshop.

“Max?”

She reluctantly glanced up from her breakfast and book to find the newlyweds sitting at the little round table with her. She’d been enjoying the fresh morning breeze outside with her coffee and croissant. The two men seemed rather _smugly_ satisfied. She rolled her eyes at them and turned back to her book.

“Another medical textbook?” Zaeed teased.

“Oui.” She hugged the book to her chest. “I _only_ got one.”

“One?”

“ _Merde._ ” She bought herself time by taking a bite of her croissant and chewing slowly. “Fine, maybe three.”

“My Little Doctor.” Zaeed ruffled her hair then headed inside the café to find a server to order breakfast.

“Max?”

She paused with her cup of coffee near her lips. “Oui?”

“Thank you for joining us. It was important for me to make sure you knew I’m becoming part of your family, not taking Zaeed away.” Steven touched her arm lightly.”

“Je sais.” Max set the cup down on the saucer. He’d already told her that before he asked her Papa to marry him. “I had _one_ Papa, now I have two. It’s good.”

“Thank you.” Steven squeezed her arm again. His eyes were strangely bright as he leaned back in his chair.

Max shifted her gaze to watch Zaeed inside the café through the windows. “He thinks I don’t remember much about my time on the streets, and the day he found me. We never talk about it, not really, or about my parents dying. I can’t remember them anymore, not much, not their faces. It’s a blur. But, I won’t ever forget the hand that reached into the little dirty hovel I’d been living in. It was strong, strong enough to keep me safe. He could’ve left me at an orphanage. He owed me nothing.”

“Max?” Zeed chose that moment to rejoin them. He clearly felt concerned at the tears in Max’s eyes.

She shook her head and dabbed the tears away with a napkin. “I’m very happy for you both. You deserved to find a good man. I love you, Papa.”

“Bloody fiend. I leave for five goddamn minutes and you’re reducing us all to tears.” Zaeed’s gruff grumbling was muted by the tight hug he pulled her into. “Goddamn it.”

“You have repressed…”

“Do not quote any bloody medical shit at me.” He cut her off impatiently. “I’m perfectly content with who I am.”

“Me too.”

“ _Fiend.”_

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: Alliance._

_I did it._

_I finally told mom I want to enlist next year on my eighteenth birthday._

_She didn’t even yell. It was freaky, but nice._

_How’s Paris? How’s the guy you met at the book store? Hmm?_

_Josie_

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Josie_

_Subj: re: Alliance._

_He’s not a ‘guy’ like that. Well he is, but…stop it, you’re confusing me._

_He’s a biotics and biology professor at Harvard. We met at the book store and I told him about my research project last year on biotics. He was really nice and listened to my rambling on about it, even made suggestions for how I could tweak it to include on my application to Harvard._

_The fact that he is incredibly handsome means nothing to me. He thinks I’m some little kid or something._

_So your mom took it well? That’s good news. I still don’t know what Papa really thinks about my applying to Harvard._

_How’s my cat? I love Paris. I’m glad we’re leaving in a few days though._

_Max_

_P.S. Papa bought me five of the books I’d left at the store. He didn’t even grumble about it. It left me with enough spending money to buy you that art print you wanted. So…happy birthday in advance._

* * *

 

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Maxine Massani_

_Subj: The study of biotics._

_I took the liberty of going through the documentation you included with your research paper when you sent it to me. You might consider expanding beyond the impact on humans. I’m attaching a few dissertations by the Asari which might prove useful to you._

_There’s a great deal of potential in this project of yours. If you’re accepted at Harvard, you might want to request a specialized degree program that would allow you to focus on the areas you’re interested in rather than getting a general degree before you moved to medical school._

_Let me know if I can help with any of this. I admit to a great deal of curiosity in how you progress._

_Bonne chance._

_Henri_

_Professor of Biotics and Biology_

_Harvard University_

* * *

 

Two days before her eighteenth birthday, seven months after the honeymoon, Max held a package that had arrived from Harvard. She sat on the couch with the box in her lap and stared at it. René reclined on his cushion watching her.

With a murmured prayer for courage, Max opened the lid and found her acceptance letter on the very top. She delved deeper to find a sweater and coffee mug with Harvard emblems. At the very bottom, she discovered her orientation packet and a note from her new advisor, Professor Henri Tasse. Her request for a specialized degree program had been granted, and he had been placed in charge of organizing it for her. He’d included in his note his suggestions for her course selections for the first year.

She grabbed René from his cushion and danced around the room with him. “ _I made it._ ”

“Made what?”

Max froze with her cat wiggling in her arms to find Zaeed in the doorway. “Papa!”

“They accepted you.” He glanced down at the opened package. “Of course they did, you’re bloody brilliant.”

“Are you happy for me?” Max set René down.

“So goddamn happy I’m going to make sure you get your own place off campus.” He laughed when she started hopping around again. “If only because I’m not sure you’d like living in a dorm with a bunch of kids.”

“ _Papa._ ”

“Hmm?”

“ _Nevermind.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Face Reference: Henri Tasse: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/90854452236/silverfoxmen-david-keigley-model
> 
> Style References  
> Max's dress: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91302704426  
> Zaeed: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91303024141/a-gentleman-thoughts-a-gentlemans-thoughts  
> Hackett: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91303267316/a-gentleman-thoughts-a-gentlemans-thoughts  
> Rene: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91351645716/mypurrfectboyfriend-when-my-boyfriend-picked-me


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

A year into her life at Harvard, Max had gotten accustomed to long days and longer nights studying. She missed René. She enjoyed the daily vid Steven sent her of her cat.   He’d even sent her one of René sleeping curled up on Zaeed’s head. She had an image of it framed for her room.

Her favorite of the vids involved René taking a flying leap off of the top of a bookshelf and smacking right into Zaeed…his face specifically. The vid was shaking because Hackett was laughing so hard. Max had shared that one with most of her friends at the university.

Her little apartment was perfect as far as Max was concerned. She planned on eventually having her cat brought out to her. It seemed better to wait until she was more settled into her routine. Her first year at Harvard was _not_ settled at all.

It all went brilliantly except for one tiny problem. Max had begun to develop the hugest crush on her adviser—Henri Tasse. They’d spent a lot of time working together since he was not only her professor and adviser, but he’d taken her on as one of his lab research assistants. She spent at least an hour or two with him every day, even sometimes on weekends.

Henri didn’t help matters by being so kind and understanding during her first few months at the university. Max had been very homesick and dealing with all the students and noise had taken some adjusting on her part. She still flinched occasionally, but had gotten much better at controlling her reactions.

Her crush on Henri began making it difficult for her to work with him when it slowly morphed into more than an innocent crush. Max had dated a few boys in the past. She’d never really done more than _date_ , aside from a few kisses. Her _fathers_ made it difficult for her to do more than casually date when she’d been in Sydney.

_Now she had the freedom to date, and the only person she was interested in was her adviser._

* * *

 

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: Spring Break._

_I thought you already switched advisers. Why are you skipping the last week of the summer break to hang out on Campus and work in the biology lab?_

_Still crushing on Henri?_

_Does your Papa…both of them…know you’re in lust with a man their age?_

_Josie_

_P.S. No I won’t tell them._

* * *

 

Henri pinched the bridge of his nose while he looked over essays his students had forwarded to him at the end of the summer semester. He missed his teaching assistant. Shoving aside one of the datapads on his desk, he took a sip of his coffee then immediately spit it out.

_He missed Max’s coffee._

He’d become accustomed to her bringing him the perfect cup of coffee to start his morning. The two would sit on a bench in front of the Science Center and discuss her classes for the day. It had helped Max remain calm during the first few months. She’d been skittish around strangers which he’d thought was odd until he’d messaged her father.

Zaeed Massani was a name he’d recognized. Henri didn’t know the bounty hunter personally, but had heard stories from some Alliance officers he knew. He wasn’t a man to be trifled with; neither was his husband Admiral Steven Hackett. The two men had flown out to Harvard to speak with him in person. They’d explained briefly some of Max’s history.

It left Henri with even more respect for the young woman. He’d gone out of his way to help her adjust to life at Harvard. She had begun to fit in well toward the end of her second quarter. She thrived in academia as much as he’d hoped she would.

Then at the end of the last quarter of the year, Max had suddenly requested to be assigned a new adviser. Henri couldn’t make heads or tails of it. The lack of death threats from Massani told him Max hadn’t contacted them with a problem. He thought the two of them were getting along well. His mind pondered over the problem for months into the following school year.

It wasn’t until spitting out the mediocre coffee his new lab assistant brought him that it dawned on him. Maybe it hadn’t been a _professional_ issue, but a personal one. He mentally reevaluated all of his most recent interactions with Max and came to a surprising conclusion. She had clearly developed feelings for him. The little blushes when he’d praise her work and the way she knew exactly how he took his coffee and what he ate for lunch.

_How had he missed it?_

_And what to do with that little piece of information?_

In the course of his tenure at Harvard, Henri had remained single for the most of it. His first wife had been an actress who cheated on him then left him for one of her co-stars. He’d shrugged it off and buried himself in research and classes. He never once considered an affair with a student. It might not be strictly against the rules, but…it presented ethical issues for him.

“Professor Tasse?”

Henri glanced up to find the young woman in question standing anxiously by the threshold of his office. “I haven’t seen you outside of class in a while, Max.”

“Busy.” Max shifted uncomfortably in front of him. “I’ve been busy.”

“Too busy for your favorite professor?” Henri shuffled through some of the essays in front of him to give her a moment to compose herself. “I miss our coffee in the morning. You make it better than I do.”

“I…” She ran her fingers through her mess of brown hair. “ _Merde._ ”

Henri watched in amusement as Max backed out of his office with an excuse in French. She could work her way through medical textbooks even some graduate students he knew couldn’t figure out. She didn’t appear familiar with relationships or flirtation. Or maybe it was simply that she didn’t think she had a chance with her professor.

_Did she?_

He was lonely after all. All he’d had for company was his books and his students; it didn’t exactly make for any sort of romantic entanglement. Max was an extraordinary woman. He liked the way she blushed before fleeing out of his office like he’d exposed her to a contagious virus. It was almost more fascinating than watching her immerse herself into her research.

“Fortune favors the bold.” He glanced absently down at the mediocre coffee. “Time to be bold.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apartment Reference.  
> http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91404637511  
> http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91404671646


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Twisting around in front of the mirror on the back of her closet door, Max scowled critically at her reflection. She’d chosen a simple spaghetti strap, blue and white leaf print dress whose hem came just above her knees. She liked the way her grey crochet socks peeked out from the coffee colored ankle boots she wore. Her shoulder length brown hair was pinned back. There was a cream oversized cardigan draped across her vintage messenger bag that Steven had given to her for a graduation gift.

It tended to get chilly in some of the older buildings on campus.

Max had _Principles of Cell Science_ in the Science building with Professor Tasse at nine in the morning on Mondays. She tended to arrive early. It was her first class of the day, so after setting a cup of coffee and a croissant on Henri’s lectern. She climbed up the steps to the back row of the large room to find her usual seat.

Pulling up her omni-tool, Max checked her schedule for the week to make certain her essays and project were on target to be completed on time. She shut the organizer down and switched over to her messages to find one from Josie. She laughed at her friend’s description of life in the marines. Her Papa had sent a note demanding to know why she hadn’t come to spend the week with them at the end of summer.

She’d gone to Barcelona with the two men for a few weeks in July. It wasn’t like he _hadn’t_ seen her at all. She just happened to miss out on a week at their apartment on Arcturus.

“Merci.”

Her head snapped up to find her professor holding the coffee she’d left for him. “Morning.”

His eyes stayed on hers while he ripped the croissant in half. “Would you like to share?”

“No.” Max needed the entire class room to separate them until she got her silly brain to settle down.

“No?” Henri smiled at her as if he knew something she didn’t. He strode across the room and up the stairs until he reached her to set the croissant half in her hand. “Bon _appétit_.”

She smiled briefly at him before they were interrupted by the first of her classmates. Henri asked her to meet him at his office then made his way back down to his lectern.   She rifled through her messenger bag to find the datapad containing the notes she’d taken during their last class, anything to keep her mind off of the brief moment when his fingers had grazed against her hand.

* * *

 

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: re: I am in trouble._

_You aren’t in trouble yet. You will be if either of your fathers find out about it._

_Look, it’s not like you’ve been single your entire life. You’ve dated, done things.   It’s not the end of the world. Go with it. See what happens._

_Speaking of sexy men, there’s a biotic marine in my unit who was just recently assigned. He’s shy, but…hot. I’ll send a vid so you can see him. I’m going to ask him out._

_Josie_

* * *

 

Walking down the hall away from the professor’s office, Max started to work on a response to her friend. She decided Henri could wait until later since he wasn’t there and she didn’t feel like waiting. It turned out to be a mistake when she slipped on the first step and landed on her back with a groan.

" _Max._ Can you walk? Are you hurt?" Henri crouched down beside Max who was sprawled out on the stairs leading from the biology department's office to the labs below. "What on earth happened?"

"Merde," Max murmured.  She sat up then gingerly got to her feet. "Some idiot left papers on the second step. I didn't see them."

"Careful." He reached out to gently hold her by the elbow to guide her over to the seats that ran along the wall outside the office. He bent down again to feel along her ankle.  He carefully rotated her foot a little while watching her for signs of pain. "I don't think you broke or sprained anything. I imagine it feels a bit tender though."

Max was too busy trying to maintain her composure to respond to him.  She'd always been fascinated by his hands, strong...capable and she could definitely imagine things they could do for and to her. She finally managed to force out the words. "I'm fine. _Merci._ "

He frowned up at her though she thought he seemed amused by her. "I'll help you to your next class."

" _No!_ "

"No?"

"I..." Max closed her eyes for a moment then opened them to stare into his blue eyes. "I am perfectly capable of walking across the quad."

"Of course you are, but I'm going to help you anyway." He cupped her elbow in his hand after helping her to stand up again. “I needed to speak with you so we can talk while we walk.”

_Merde._

She was saved from the potential humiliation by one of the other professor’s calling Henri over.   She used the distraction to dart down the stairs and out of the building. Her leg was fine; it twinged a little but not enough to force her to limp. She made it to the relative sanctuary of the massive library in record time.

Grabbing a few reference books, Max found an out of the way table in a remote corner of the library and spread her books across it. She was making a few notes for one of her classes when someone sat across from her. She initially ignored them, but the prolonged silence got to her. She lifted her head to find a bemused Henri watching her.

“I thought I said we need to talk.” He kept his voice low to keep from drawing attention from the librarian.

“Hmm?” Max became very interested in the medical journal in front of her. “Can it wait?”

“Will you have dinner with me?” Henri’s quiet question caused her to snap her head back up. “There is a talk on biotics tomorrow evening being held nearby. I thought you’d like to attend with me, we could pick up something at the little café near your apartment before we go.”

“A biotics talk?” Max tugged impatiently at the sleeve of her cardigan. She had the strangest feeling he was deliberately making it ambiguous on his true intentions. “I would love to attend with you. Just let me know the time, and I can meet you at the café.”

“I…”

“I’m studying; can we talk about it later?” Max decided two could play at whatever game he was playing. She waved him away like he was another student. She thought she heard his quiet laughter before he walked away. “ _Merde.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clothing Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/91493431786/topshop-print-dress-oversized-batwing-cardigan


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

His Little Fiend’s silence over the past few weeks and particularly the end of summer had worried Zaeed quite a bit. Hackett told him to stop worrying, but he couldn’t do it. Max was too far away for him not to worry. He decided to put off his latest bounty to head to Earth to check up on her.

He parked his rented skycar outside her apartment building and paused in the process of getting out when he spotted one of Max’s professors walking up the steps to the front door. _What the bloody hell?_ He knew from reading between the lines of a conversation the Fiend had with Hackett the other day that she was clearly infatuated with someone.

_It couldn’t be._

She had more bloody sense than that and he hoped to hell the bloody professor did as well.

With an aggravated grunt, Zaeed slammed the door shut and made his way into the building up to Max’s fourth floor apartment. He got there just in time to see Max practically float out of her home. She wore a beautiful floral print dress that had one sleeve which slid off of her shoulder. He felt fire burn in his belly when the professor reached out to carefully lift the wide strap back up onto her shoulder.

“Touch her again, and I’m putting a boot through your skull.” Zaeed strode angrily down the short hallway until he reached Max who gaped up at him in surprise. “Get back…”

Max lifted her hand to silence him. “Have you lost all of your sense?”

“ _Maxine Adrienne._ ”

“No.” She used her hands to shove him in the chest hard. “I can’t believe you…how utterly humiliating. He’s my professor. He’s taking me to dinner then a lecture on biotics. And besides all of that, I am also an adult. What _are_ you thinking to threaten to kill him? Henri is honestly the only person who helped me get through the first months here. You could show a little gratitude. And _no_ , Papa, gratitude doesn’t usually come at the end of your boots.”

“I’ll show the goddamn bastard gratitude, all right.” Zaeed frowned at Max when she stepped in between the two men. “Is this why you missed the summer? So you could…”

“Finish that sentence and I swear it’s going to be longer than six weeks before you see me again, Papa.” Max crossed her arms and matched his glare for one of her own.

 _Later_ , much later, Zaeed would consider how proud of Max he was. She’d never really stood up in the face of an angry person without cowering, not for any length of time. She hated confrontation and actively avoided it whenever possible. At the moment though, it just ticked him off even more that she was doing it over Henri Tasse.

“He’s…”

“I do believe I’m going to stay in this evening, Henri.” Max turned apologetically toward him then ignoring Zaeed went back into her apartment and let the door close on the two men.

_Goddamn it._

“Mr. Massani.” Henri seemed completely unfazed and calm when he turned his attention to Zaeed. “I hope you have a good evening. I have a lecture to attend.”

“Stay the…”

Before Zaeed could say anything, the door to Max’s apartment open and she grabbed him by the back of the shirt to drag him inside. He spluttered at her when she locked the door and refused to open it for him. She paced the small living room angrily muttering to herself in French while occasionally gesturing wildly in his direction.

“You’re going to have to slow down and speak up if you want me to fully appreciate your anger.” Zaeed laughed when she threw herself on the couch and refused to speak to him. “Max.”

“Does Steven know you’re here?” Max raised an eyebrow at him. She fidgeted with the top layer of the skirt of her dress absently. “It wasn’t a date.”

“You don’t goddamn dress like this if it hasn’t at least crossed your mind that it might be a date.” Zaeed felt his anger slip away at the hurt evident in her eyes. “Max?”

“You just…how could you do that?” She pulled her legs up under her on the couch. “How can I even look him in the eye tomorrow in class?”

“I’m not seeing that as a problem.”

“ _Papa.”_

“The man is my goddamn age.” Zaeed grumbled at her. He honestly didn’t want to see anyone with Max, let alone someone like the professor. “Just…what the hell were you thinking?”

 _“Merde.”_ Max covered her face with her hands. She peeked through her fingers at him. “He’s handsome, no?”

“ _NO.”_

 _“_ He is so.”

“Petulant child.”

“Me?” Max let her hands fall away from her face. “Me? That is ridiculous. You act more petulantly than I ever have.”

“Oh?” He grinned at her. “You did good back there, standing up for yourself even though I was starting to raise my voice.”

“Henri helped me with that.”

“ _Bastard._ ”

_“Papa!”_

* * *

 

_From: Steven_

_To: Zaeed_

_Subj: re: Max._

_So you basically ruined what was potentially Max’s first date? Though you have no proof it was a date since they were going to a lecture that given what he teaches and she studies could’ve been a legitimate student-professor event._

_And you threatened to stomp his brains out._

_And Max is upset and not speaking to you._

_What exactly do you expect me to do about all of this? Aren’t you supposed to be on Omega looking for that bounty of yours?_

_I love you, even if you did ruin Max’s night._

_Steven_

* * *

 

_From: Max Massani_

_To: Henri Tasse_

_Subj: Class._

_I’m not feeling well._

_I won’t be in class. I already informed the rest of my professors._

_Max_

* * *

 

Her excuse for missing a day of classes was flimsy at best. Max had her reputation for being a dedicated student on her side, so most of her professors were kind enough to not press the matter. She stayed curled up on her couch under a blanket and read through one of the French novels Steven had sent to her in a care package. She’d sent her Papa on his way to avoid another argument.

She wasn’t alone for long.

Ren and Kyo Oshiro were brothers from Tokyo who were in their third and fourth years at university. The younger brother studied engineering while the older studied Criminal Justice with the hope of making it into Harvard Law School eventually. They lived in one of the apartments on the first floor in her building. They’d taken Max under their wing almost from the moment they met. She usually studied with them if she wasn’t at the library.

They brought her a big bowl of noodle soup. Max found it impossible to put them off, so she finally caved in and told them what happened the night before. Ren fell off of the couch laughing while Kyo glared at his young brother. She told them in French exactly where to go with their amusement.

“Poor little bird.” Kyo filched one of the thin slices of carrot from her udon miso soup. “If the professor is interested, I don’t think you will have to worry about feeling embarrassed.”

“Wear that short little sundress I saw in your closet, I’m sure he’ll forget all about your angry _Papa._ ” Ren winked at her then hid his smile behind his hand when his brother lectured him.

“Thank you for the soup.”

“And run along now?” Kyo added helpfully.

She was ushering the interfering brothers out of her apartment when Henri came down the hall toward her. He shook hands with the two brothers who both winked at Max before making their way to their own apartment. She turned to Henri and remembered she was _supposed_ to be ill.

“Professor?” She leaned against the door frame in what she hoped look like a weak manner.

“I haven’t been scared off by your irate father.” Henri lifted up a small thermos that he handed over to her. “It’s a sweetened tea that my mother insists makes any illness better.”

“You brought me tea.”

“Get some rest.” Henri brushed the backs of his fingers against her jaw before tapping her chin with one of his knuckles. “You were missed in class. I took notes at the lecture for you. Come by my office in the morning and I’ll give them to you.”

“Merci.”

“And Max?”

“Yes?”

“I thought I said to call me Henri.” He walked casually away whistling a familiar French pop tune as he went.

Max sank backward against the door with the thermos clutched to her chest. “ _Merde._ ”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Food reference: http://www.steamykitchen.com/10361-japanese-udon-miso-noodle-soup.html
> 
> Face References: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/92555629191


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Christmas._

_I’m stuck with my mom in Sydney for the few days off I get._

_How on Earth did you convince your Papas to spend a week in Paris? Do they know you plan on seeing Henri on Christmas Eve? And how did you convince them to let the Oshiro brothers go with you?_

_My dad got out of the brig. He tried to visit me at the base. Mom thought I should tell you, don’t know if you really want me to bring it up._

_Has Admiral Hackett mentioned anything?_

_Josie_

_P.S. Merry Christmas._

* * *

 

Max hadn’t told anyone other than Josie about her plan to meet up with Henri. She let her fingers dance along the shiny silver and black wrapping paper and then down the red ribbon she’d used to cover the book which was Henri’s present. She’d spent six months trying to find the antique reference he’d wanted, longer than she took on anyone else’s gifts.

Slipping on the cute black dress she planned to wear to dinner with the ‘family’, Max grabbed her red coat and scarf. She pulled on a knit hat and gloves after putting on her boots. She carefully took the package and headed out of her hotel room. There was _just_ enough time to meet up with Henri and get back before anyone noticed she’d gone out.

“You would make a dreadful secret agent, Little Finch.” Kyo blocked Max’s path out of the hotel. “Going to see Henri?”

She lifted the present in her arms. “It’s Christmas Eve. I won’t be long.”

“Go on then.” He winked at her. “Ren and I will run circles around your elders to keep them busy until you return.”

“Merci.” Max hugged him quickly then dashed out of the hotel onto the street.

She paused to look up at the gently falling snow. It was a beautiful late afternoon. _Romantic._ She walked briskly toward The Pont Alexandre III where Henri would wait for her.   It was a short ten minute walk from the hotel.

Their friendship had continued to develop since the non-date Zaeed had interrupted. Max spent quite a bit of time with Henri—outside of class. They’d attended a number of lectures together, often sitting in his office afterward to discuss and _argue_ about what they’d heard. She’d even gone over to his apartment to cook a number of times for him.

_And kissed._

Henri refused to rush into anything with a student. Max didn’t necessarily disagree with the decision. She was just tired of circling around the issue of whether they were friends or more than friends.

“Joyeux Noël.”

She smiled at Henri who stood leaning against the railing of the bridge. He wore dark jeans with a checkered blue and white button-up shirt with a grey sweater pulled over it. His black coat draped over his shoulder. She wondered if he’d been rushing to meet her. She rested her hands on his arm for leverage to lean up to press a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth.

“Joyeux Noël.” Max offered the present to him suddenly feeling uncertainty. He hadn’t mentioned the book in a while, it was possible he’d already found his own copy of it. “I…”

Not wanting to see him open his gift, Max touched her lips to his mouth again then claimed she had to get back to her Papa. She ignored him when he called out to her and retraced her steps quickly back to the hotel. She slid a little on a patch of ice, but managed to step into the warmth and holiday cheer of the lobby. She rushed up to her room to kick off her boots, hat, scarf and coat.

She eventually found Kyo and Ren acting the fool, their way to distract her Papas, in the living room attached to the suite the men were staying it. It was a large set of connected suites that shared one communal den. The first thing the college students had done when they arrived was cover the room with Christmas decorations, complete with a large tree the hotel staff had brought in for them.

While Zaeed seemed to be increasingly annoyed by the brothers, Max thought Steven had already realized there was more to the song and dance routine. She slipped further into the room and sat casually beside the Admiral who reached out to deliberately and painstakingly slowly brush a few snowflakes from her hair.

“And how _is_ Professor Tasse?” Hackett spoke quietly as he leaned toward her to avoid anyone else hearing him. “Is he enjoying his holiday in Paris?”

“ _Merde._ ”

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Henri._

_You do realize that you basically let him know exactly how much you ‘like’ him by doing what you did?_

_Did you get anything good for Christmas? I haven’t opened my presents yet, parental drama is on the horizon._

_Josie_

* * *

 

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: Joyeux Noël._

_You left without waiting for your present._

_I’m spending time with family this morning, but meet me again? This evening? Same place?_

_Henri_

* * *

 

It was five in the morning when Max tiptoed out of her room and burrowed under a blanket on the couch. She watched the lights flickering on the Christmas tree and the snow falling through the large windows that looked out across Paris. She wasn’t all that surprised when Zaeed joined her a few minutes later with two mugs of coffee in his hands. He smirked at the reindeer sweater she wore with her red pajama bottoms.

“Time to watch Christmas morning arrive?” He handed one of the mugs to her. “So where did you sneak off to last night?”

“Henri is visiting family on the other side of the city. I wanted to give his Christmas present to him. “max ran her fingers through Rene’s fur when he hoped up into her lap. She’d insisted on her Papas bringing the cat with them. “We’re _not_ engaging in any sort of behaviour that could upset you. He hasn’t shown me la petit mort yet.”

Zaeed spluttered coffee all over his t-shirt. “ _Max_.”

“Hmm?”

“I believe most daughters prefer to keep those sorts of things as secrets from their fathers.” Zaeed shook his head with a wry laugh. “You had to like a goddamn…well…he’s better than your goddamn idiot friends.”

“Kyo and Ren? What’s the matter with those two?” Max sipped her coffee. “They’ve been very good friends to me. I also happen to have nothing Ren is interested in, and Kyo isn’t interested in anything to begin with.”

“Isn’t…interested?”

“Merde.” Max set her coffee aside while she tried to explain to Zaeed. “Kyo enjoys many things, sex isn’t one of them. And no, neither he nor I would be interested in your comments on the matter.”

“I can be discrete.” He scowled at Max when she snorted into her coffee. “What? I can be fucking discrete when I want to be.”

“Ok, Papa, but it’s not very often, is it?” She leaned against his shoulder when she finally stopped laughing. “Are you disappointed in my choice?”

“Concerned about you getting your goddamn heart broken, I’ve never once been disappointed in you.” He pointed toward the Christmas tree. “How the bloody hell is Père Noël supposed to visit when you’re watching the tree?”

“We do this every Christmas.” She reminded him with a laugh. “Rene never lets you sneak around with presents anyway. He’s too interested in the ribbons.”

“Bloody menace.”

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Style Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/92664086776
> 
> Place Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/92664611516/lifeisverybeautiful-pont-alexandre-iii-with


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

“So Little Fiend, who do you think left this outside our hotel suite?” Zaeed held out the small package he’d found to her.

“Père Noël?” Max laughed when he pulled the gift away from her. She offered him an exchange, the small box in his hand for the oddly wrapped gift that had been sitting in her lap. “Joyeux Noël, Papa.”

“You too.” He ripped the paper off of his present. He stared down at it for a long minute, and then threw back his head as he roared with laughter. “You goddamn little fiend.”

It was a small green dragon figurine with a princess on its back. Zaeed was instantly taken back to when Max was six or seven. She loved dressing up as a princess and he had to play the dragon that saved her from the evil prince. It was her favourite game.

He’d asked her once why he wasn’t the prince and she told him that he didn’t look like the princes in her fairy-tale book. She seemed to think the princes were dumb. The dragon might spew fire, but it could protect the princess.

_And that was apparently Papa’s job._

_Protecting the princess._

Zaeed glanced down to see tears in Max’s eyes. He placed his hand on the back of her head to press her forward against his chest. “Love you, Little Fiend.”

She finally pushed him away toward the tree with presents around it. Zaeed watched out of the corner of his eye as she opened the gift from Henri with exaggerated care. She seemed to want to prolong the moment. He rolled his eyes and forced himself to remember he’d promised Steven to give Max and Henri a chance.   He was pulled from his thoughts when he realized Max as holding what a datachip.

_What the bloody hell kind of gift was that?”_

She clutched it in her hand and appeared to be blinking back tears again. Zaeed sat beside her on the couch and lifted the little datachip out her hand. She explained how she’d been trying to obtain access to files on some of the first human biotic cases for months for one of the papers she wanted to write. It would lead into her fourth year project, eventually. The files were all sealed and she’d been turned down.

Henri had gotten her copies of all of the files.

_Smooth bastard._

* * *

 

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: re: Merci._

_I know you’ll put it to good use. I’m excited to see how your theory turns out. I have a few friends working with biotics for the Alliance who are very interested in it._

_Enjoy the day with your family._

_Perhaps we can have dinner before you leave Paris?_

_Henri_

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Merry Christmas._

_A trip for Christmas?_

_And yes, I do believe your Papa is using his Christmas gift to you of a trip to Biarritz to keep you away from Henri. He’s your Papa, of course he’d do something like that._

_My advice?_

_Enjoy the damn trip, see Henri at school._

_Merry Christmas._

_Josie_

* * *

 

With the Oshiro brothers sleeping off their saké hangovers, Max sat through breakfast with Zaeed and Steven while trying to decide how best to deal with the meddling men sitting across from her. She ignored the fruit Steven pushed toward her to continue munching on her third croissant.

“Max?”

“I’m having dinner with Henri tomorrow night, before we head to Biarritz.” Max decided bringing the issue up with Steven in the room might help keep Zaeed from losing all perspective. “ _Alone.”_

“No.”

“It wasn’t a question, Papa.” Max shredded the croissant between her fingers before tossing it aside in disgust. “Why does it bother you so much?”

“He’s too goddamn…”

“We had this conversation already, Zaeed.” Steven placed a restraining hand on his husband’s arm.

“I don’t like it.”

“You didn’t like Steven at first.” Max winked at the man who raised his glass to salute her. “And now look, you’re happily married.”

“ _Maxine.”_

 _“_ I thought you agreed to give it a chance.” She wilted in her chair and turned _very_ sad eyes at him. “It’s Christmas, Papa.”

“Stop doing that you bloody fiend.” He glared at her. “I won’t know why you are even pretending like it’s my decision. You’re an adult. If you want to have dinner with the perverted bastard, have dinner with him.”

“He’s not a pervert.” Max flicked part of her pastry at him. “Could you _try_ to pretend like it’s not the end of the world? For me?”

“Try? Of course. Fail? Abso-bloody-lutely.” He dodged the second half of the croissant she threw at him. “Tell him to pick you up here at six tomorrow evening.”

“No.” She shook her head emphatically.

“ _Oui_.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

“She’s not…”

Max glanced over her shoulder to find Steven had his hand firmly clamped over Zaeed’s mouth. She smothered her laughter in the fabric of her black cable knit cape. She crouched down to check on the buckle of her heels then stood up to find the two men struggling with each other. Ren and Kyo gave her a thumbs up before continuing to mutter to each other in Japanese. She had a feeling they were taking bets.

“Papa.” Max sidestepped Rene to avoid getting fur on her sleeveless red flutter dress. She thought it was festive and cute with the bowtie around the waist. She placed a hand on Steven’s arm to get him to release Zaeed. “Papa? Do you want me to stay?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Max waved off Steven’s interruption.

If they didn’t have this conversation now, it was going to hang over her the entire evening. She wanted to be able to enjoy the dinner with Henri without stressing about her Papa’s response. Zaeed took her gently by the arm to lead her out of the living area into one of the attached hotel rooms for a more _private_ conversation.

“If he does one goddamn thing to hurt you, I’m ripping the bastard’s balls off.” Zaeed reached into his pocket to pull out a compact weapon. “It fires off an electric pulse when you push the red button.”

Max stared down at the weapon then up at Zaeed. She muttered to herself in French for a moment before switching to English. “Henri isn’t going to hurt me.”

“Take it.”

“No.”

“I’ll follow you to the goddamn restaurant if you don’t,” he promised.

“You will end up doing that anyway so what’s the point? I do _not_ like to hold weapons, Papa. You know this.” Max took a step back from him. “Henri’s waiting for me downstairs. I’d bring a jacket with you when you follow us. It looks very cold outside.”

“Little Fiend.”

She paused to look over her shoulder at him. “Je sais.”

Knowing the dangers of having Henri run into her Papa, Max had messaged him to have him meet her outside of the hotel. He was leaning against a skycar when she stepped outside. He seemed oblivious to the snowflakes falling on his shoulders while he waited patiently for her.  

Underneath his coat, Max could see the grey tweed suit he wore with a red tie and vest that matched the colour of her dress.  They looked like they’d coordinated their outfits. She leaned up for a gentle kiss before letting him help her into the passenger’s seat.

The dinner date had started off oddly thanks to her interfering Papa. Max wondered idly if this was payback for the time she snuck off to spy on one of his date’s with Steven. Henri had initially led her to a table in the back of the restaurant which was hidden from view. He then guided her through the kitchen to an emergency exit and finally to a waiting second skycar.

“Qu'est-ce que nous faisons?” Max asked in confusion as they immediately zoomed down an alley into the busy Parisian traffic.

“I have absolutely no desire to spend the short time I have with you under the eye of your _Papa_.” Henri deftly maneuvered the vehicle through one side-street after another. He appeared to know the narrow streets incredibly well. They finally arrived at a nondescript looking building in the Pigalle district. “I want to _enjoy_ my evening…and you.”

The club didn’t look like much from the outside. It looked almost run-down. The inside was a completely different story.   It was sleek and luxurious, a perfect balance between old Parisian decadence and modern simplicity. Henri told her the jazz club and restaurant was owned by his younger brother, Jacques.

His brother had shut the entire club down for the evening, just for the two of them. The chef had prepared a special tasting menu for the two of them to enjoy while they listened to the club’s jazz pianist play for them. It was possibly the most romantic date Max had ever seen, not that she had a wealth of experience.

Once Max handed her cape to the doorman, Henri led her out onto the empty dance floor. They moved to the strains of one jazz melody after another. She looped her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his chest. His arms wound around her back as he tugged her closer. Their dancing flowed from precise steps into a slow swaying in time with the music.

“You planned all of this?” Max was in awe when they finally went over to the single table set up for them. It was elegantly and festively decorated with hints of gold.

Henri eased the chair out for her. Max twisted toward him to place her hand gently along the side of his face. She brushed her lips against his then took her seat with a murmured merci. His fingers drifted across her bare shoulders for a moment. She was surprised when she glanced down to find a small gift wrapped package on her plate.

“Henri?”

“Open it.”

She lifted the lid off the small box and found a beautifully antique watch on a long gold cord. “It’s exquisite.”

“Yes, you are.” He reached across the table to caress her cheek with his fingers. “How long do we have before your Papa decides to track you down using extreme measures?”

“I’m twenty; I really couldn’t be bothered by it.” Max wanted to enjoy the evening. It wasn’t every year she was able to indulge in a sumptuous feast. She fluttered her fingers across his hand. “If you were planning to sweep me off of my feet, you started off magnificently.”

They shared their meals. Max enjoyed bites of Henri’s duck magret and caramelized apples while he stole some of her herb crusted rack of lamb. She even let him have a few tastes of her gingerbread soufflé.   It seemed only fair after he’d fed her some of his Cotillon, the decadent layers of chocolate melted in her mouth. He drew her in for kiss so they could enjoy the flavour together.

_It was the perfect evening._

After finishing the meal with spiced wine, Henri led her toward the dance floor again, but stopped himself.   He lifted her up on one of the empty tables and pressed between her legs causing her dress to ride up on her thighs. His fingers raked through her hair while his other hand gripped her hip tightly as he leaned in for what seemed like an endless tease of kisses and touches. He refused to take things further though. With a final hungry kiss, he led her out of the club to the skycar to take her back to the hotel.

Her hand reached out to take his as they made the trip back in a comfortable quiet.   It was one of the things she’d grown to appreciate about him—the wonderful silent moments. He lifted her hand to graze his lips against her knuckles.  

With another long kiss and a whispered thanks, Max hopped out of the skycar a few blocks away from the hotel. It was still snowing and she wanted to enjoy the brisk walk underneath the still decorated trees. There was something magical about the day after Christmas. It kept her spirits buoyed up when she spotted a grim looking Zaeed smoking a cigar outside of the hotel entrance.

_“Maxine.”_

She toyed with the new necklace she was wearing before answering. “I love you very much, Papa, but I had the most magical evening and you will _not_ ruin it for me.”

Zaeed’s eyes narrowed on her. He dropped his cigar in a nearby ashtray and walked over to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Merry Christmas, Little Fiend.”

"Merry Christmas, Papa."

* * *

 

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: re: The Perfect Date._

_And you didn’t insist on heading back to his hotel room, why?_

_I would’ve._

_I’ll just sit here in my loneliness and live vicariously through you._

_Josie_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henri's outfit: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93404962351/a-gentleman-in-portugal-the-portuguese
> 
> Max's Dress: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93400641061/modcloth-red-dress-by-amo-iste-featuring-woven  
> Max's Cape: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93399638901/ralph-lauren-black-label-cashmere-chunky-cable  
> Max's gift: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93407768871/modcloth-florescence-upon-a-time-necklace-see#disqus_thread
> 
> Food references:   
> http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93408786246/in-my-mouth-gingerbread-souffle  
> http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93408707496/sam-eli-food-duck-magret-caramelized-apple  
> http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93408591701/bitethewaxtadpole-herb-crusted-rack-of-lamb  
> http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93408434811/christmas-desserts-chocolate-cake-french
> 
> Table Setting: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93327072841/dustjacketattic-christmas-table-photo-lisa


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

The second day they were in Biarritz, Max convinced her Papa to spend time with his husband. She told him she wanted to walk alone in her city a little without him constantly asking if she were all right. With the two men distracted, it gave her plenty of time to prepare for one last date with Henri in France before they were back in the _real_ world of Harvard where neither of them could really openly show affection for each other. It might not be against the rules, but it could affect his career quite a bit.

Opting for more casual wear, Max pulled on jeans and then a sweater. She grabbed the leather jacket Steven had gotten her for Christmas and wrapped a floral print scarf around her neck. She slipped on the necklace Henri had given her and paused to get her sunglasses before heading out of the hotel.

Henri waited for her by the entrance to one of the more secluded sections of the beach in the older part of Biarritz. His smile widened when he spotted her. She took a moment to appreciate the way his dark burgundy trousers and wine-coloured, long-sleeve shirt fit his body. He looked impeccably dashing. He watched her over the rim of his sunglasses as she walked toward him.

Slinging an arm around her shoulders, Henri guided her down a set of wooden stairs onto the beach. They rounded a corner and found an old iron trellis set across stones on top of a beautiful rug. There were square cushions piled up together for them to sit on. It was late in the afternoon, and a row of lanterns were already set out for after sunset.

The make-shift table was covered with serving dishes filled with a variety of treats. There was also a vase with local wildflowers in the middle of it all. Max could smell the freshly baked loaf of bread before she even sat down. It was next to a plate of cheeses. She spotted a bowl with fresh, local butter and another platter with a roasted cherry and bacon quiche. There also appeared to be a bowl with a collection of fruit and beside it a chilled bottle of wine.

_He had thought of everything._

“You did all of this?” Max found herself constantly amazed at the effort Henri went to for her.

“I might’ve had a little help.” He took her hand to help her down onto one of the piles of cushions. “You’re certainly worth all of this and more.”

Max leaned across the cushions to grasp the collar of his shirt. She eased him forward until their lips touched. It was soft and sweet at first. Henri’s hand came up to grip the back of her neck. He tugged her forward further while his tongue traced the edges of her mouth.   His pressed between her lips and she tasted the sweet jam he’d eaten moments ago.

With their mouths still connected, Henri shifted his arm around her waist to lift her up into his lap. Max ended up straddling his legs. He kept one hand firmly on her neck, keeping her pressed forward, and reached down with the other to spread her legs further part.   It caused her jeans to stretch taut against her body. She found her when she rolled her hips that it created a delicious friction against his hardened trouser covered cock.

The secluded area the picnic had been set up in gave them enough of an illusion of privacy that Max briefly forgot where she was. She shifted around on Henri while their kisses deepened. It wasn’t until voices drifted up from the water that she sprang back to her cushion. She took a long sip of wine to regain her composure.

“As romantic as our first time being on the beach might be, I think I’d rather have you all to myself.” Henri leaned over for one last kiss then focused _both_ of their attention on the meal. He glanced back over his shoulder. “And I don’t believe it’s going to be today.”

Max had a slice of bread almost to her mouth as she followed his gaze to where a _more than slightly_ annoyed Zaeed was walking toward them. “ _Merde._ ”

“Sorry, Max, I tried.” Hackett raised his hands as if to say he wanted no part of it. “We appear to be interrupting a rather romantic dinner.”

“Appear?” Max sighed. “Would you like to join us?”

“Join you?” Zaeed’s eyes narrowed when Max smiled sweetly up at him. “ _Maxine._ ”

“ _Papa._ ” She leaned over to kiss Henri then hopped up to her feet. She grabbed Zaeed by the arm and dragged him toward the beach for a little privacy. “You must stop all the following me around. I’m going to date, Papa. Would you rather I date someone who treats me like dirt or worse? Henri is sweet, kind and romantic. Shouldn’t I be with someone like that?”

“I’m never going to be goddamn happy with you dating anyone.” Zaeed admitted with a shrug. He draped his arm across Max’s shoulder. “This is becoming a bit of an issue between us.”

“A bit?”

“I’m goddamn trying.”

“No, you aren’t.” Max decided to utilize her saddest expression. She turned mournful brown eyes up at her Papa. “Please?”

“Goddamn fiend.”

* * *

 

  _From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: re: Humiliation complete._

_I can't believe, wait no I can believe your Papa did that to you._

_Major points to Henri for the impressive date though.  
_

_My dad keeps trying to contact me. Why won't he leave me alone?_

_Josie_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Style Reference:  
> Max: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93523477551/thepolyvorecollection-ooh-la-la-la-by  
> Henri: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93522680436/retrodrive-casual-male-fashion
> 
> Table Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93522982901/anenst-torrey-pines-california  
> Food reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93523544041/we-are-the-dior-whores-picnic-at-versailles  
> Beach Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/93523594771/myscaleddownlife-an-oldie-2012-beautiful


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Kyo_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Advice._

_See this is why we should’ve gone with you to Biarritz._

_I suggest having a serious conversation with your Papa about why he’s doing this._

_Alternately, just don’t date Henri when your Papa is within several hundred miles._

_Kyo_

_P.S. Ren says hello. Now he has to go back in his box, little brothers are so passé._

* * *

 

The morning after her dreadfully humiliating evening, Max sat with a mug of café au lait and a croissant in the hotel café.  She choked on a mouthful of pastry when she spotted Steven dragging her Papa through the restaurant with his fingers pinched around one of Zaeed’s ears. It took her several coughs to clear her throat.

“Qu'est-ce au nom de dieu que vous faites?” Max blinked up at the two men in confusion. “Seriously, what are you doing?”

“Tell her.” Steven forced his husband down into a chair.

“Goddamn it.” Zaeed tried to stand up, but his husband kept his hands on his shoulders to keep him seated. “I don’t want to fucking lose you to medicine and bloody Henri.”

Max cocked her head to the side as she stared at him trying to process what he’d said. She sat in baffled silence for a while. Lose her? Why would he be worried about losing her? Oh mon dieu. She could think of a few words in French for what an utter moron he had been.

Standing up so quickly her chair fell back, Max got to her feet and rushed around the table. She threw her arms around Zaeed’s neck and hugged him tightly. She muttered nonsense that included what she thought of the illogical and irrational thought process that had led him to stalking her across Paris and Biarritz.

“You will always be my grumpy Papa.” Max felt his arms crushing her against him. “Medicine is my passion. Henri might become a passion of sorts. But through whatever distracts me, you will always be the dragon who rescued me and gave me a home. We’re family. I love you.”

“Crazy little fiend.”

“Me?” She tilted her head to glare at him. “No more following me on dates. It’s a little odd. Henri isn’t going to let you chase him away in any case. He’s not a little boy who you can easily intimidate.”

“Fine.”

“I’m serious, Papa.” She narrowed her eyes at his fast response. “The only way you could possibly put a rift between us would be to attempt to suffocate me with your care. I need to be an adult. I need love and romance and companionship. Don’t I deserve it?”

He squeezed her one more time then let her go. “I do understand, Max. No more stalking, I promise.”

She peered around him to look at Steven. “You’re my witness to his promise.”

Steven winked at her then laughed when Zaeed growled at him. “Stubborn, grumpy bastard. We could’ve been in…”

“I have no interested in learning anything about what happens behind your closed door.” Max flicked a packet of sugar at him. “Can we have breakfast in peace now? There’s somewhere I’d like to go afterward.”

* * *

 

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: Max._

_I accept your apology._

_And if I hurt her, I imagine you’ll be the first in line to rearrange my face and other parts of my anatomy._

_Henri_

* * *

 

They rounded a familiar corner in a housing district near the docks and Zaeed finally realized where Max was taking them. It had been the elephant in the room of this trip back to Biarritz.   He followed her reluctantly along the cobbled streets to the alleyway where they had first met all those years ago. Steven looked at him in confusion, but he waved him off, explanations could come later.

The two men watched Max bend down near the familiar hole Zaeed now recognized to be an old ventilation shaft. He’d been too busy worrying about the little girl at the time to concern himself with the specifics. It was hard to believe she managed to survive alone for a year.

Max laid the palm of her hand against the grimy, brick wall. She sounded close to tears when she finally spoke. “I ate a lot of bread crusts…dirty…things I stole from the garbage.”

“Max?”

She glanced over her shoulder at Steven. “This was my home for a year when I was six. Papa found me here.”

Steven gripped Zaeed’s hand which had started to tremble. “This is where he found you? You always said you met on the streets, I never really…pictured it like this.”

“My hero.”

“Not a goddamn hero or a bloody knight in shining armor.” Zaeed kept his tone gruff to avoid become overcome with emotion himself. “Best fucking decision I ever made.”

Max stood slowly back up and smiled at Zaeed. “Not a knight, no, but a dragon.”

“Again with the dragon.” He dragged her over into a hug as he laughed. “Never going to let me forget the goddamn dragon, are you?”

“Of course not, it’s one of my best memories.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Lying awake in the middle of the night, Max listened to the soft rain pelting on the window of her hotel room. She was thinking about the long, cold nights on the streets before Zaeed. A ping on her omni-tool drew her attention away from darker memories She found a four word message from Henri—‘come dance with me.’

_Dancing?_

_Est-il fou?_

Slipping out from under the blankets, Max shivered in the chilly room. She changed out of her nightgown into tights, a simple black dress, boots and a dark red knee-length coat. She grabbed her knit hat and made her way out of the hotel. She found Henri waiting outside underneath an awning for her.

Henri grabbed her by the hand to run with her the few blocks over to a small garden which ran along the edge of the entrance to the nearby beach. He guided her in a wide circle then began to slowly waltz with her. Their boots sent water flying around them. They continued until Max started to shiver.

His arm went around her waist inside her coat. “I have coffee and freshly baked madeleines in the apartment I’m staying at. Would you care to join me?”

 _“Oui.”_ Max laughed as he led her through a puddle. “Did you bring me out in the middle of winter in the rain so you could bring me home to get dry?”

“Who says you’ll be dry?” Henri teased as he led her through an alleyway to the back entrance of the small flat he’d rented for the week. “I plan on keeping you wet.”

“ _Henri._ ”

Twisting them around, Henri gently eased her against the wall in the hallway.   He licked a stray drop of water from the tip of her nose. Max smiled up at him then reached up to begin to ease off his wet coat. She unbuttoned his shirt and helped him peel of the drenched shirt underneath. Her fingers paused to trace the muscular lines of his chest.

While distracting her with thorough kisses, Henri eased her coat and dress off of her body. He led her through the living room into a bathroom where he’d programmed the apartment VI to fill the bathtub. The water was perfectly warm when she dipped her fingers into it. She moaned in relief as she sank into the water.

“Good?”

“Oui.” She watched through half-closed eyelids as Henri stripped the rest of the way out of his clothes to join her.

They started on opposite sides of the tub. Henri brought his legs up then eased them between hers, slowly spreading them forcing hers apart. He lifted on of her legs up to massage her foot. He took his time carefully working to relax her as he went from one foot to the other. Max sank back against the tub enjoying the warmth and his touch.

He released her leg and reached forward to take her hand to slide her through the water into his lap. Max ended up sideways across his legs. Her head rested against his shoulder. She gripped his neck with one hand as she pulled him down into a kiss.

With a measured pace, Henri caressed every inch of her back before dipping down along the crease of her ass. He teased the inside of her thighs until Max’s legs drifted apart. She kissed him hungrily wanting more. Her breath hitched and then their lips parted when he grazed his thumb along the seam of her pussy.   His eyes met hers as he pushed the tip of his finger into her.   His gaze was almost as mesmerizing as his touch.

He seemed determined to drive her to a feverish level of arousal. His every touch calculated to fan the flames without completely satisfying her. Max rose up to meet each shallow thrust of his fingers. She felt him smile against the side of her neck when she gave a frustrated sigh.

Murmuring a constant stream of encouraging words to incite Max further, Henri twisted them around so she was stretched out underneath him. He kept one arm beneath her to hold her up as he drove his cock into her.   Their previous moments together didn’t even come close to having his body fully pressed against hers.

Her legs went around him and her heels pressed in for leverage to lift herself up further to meet his light thrusts. Water lightly splashed against the rim of the tub as Henri finally picked up the strength of his movements. She cried out in French when he shifted the angle of his thrusts and went deeper into her. It was everything she’d thought it would be with him.

_And more._

And he kept going long after her orgasm had taken her breath away.

* * *

 

_From: Papa_

_To: Max_

_Subj: Breakfast._

_Imagine my goddamn surprise when you aren’t in your room._

_Bring the old bastard with you for breakfast. I promise to be nice._

_Papa_


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Max stumbled out of bed as someone pounded repeatedly on her apartment door. She dodged Rene who had made the trip from France to Harvard with her. Steven planned to come by to retrieve the cat in a few weeks since she’d be taking part in an internship in London during the upcoming summer holidays. She finally managed to get to the door only to find Kyo and Ren smirking down at her, far too cheerful for the first day back at University.

“Henri sent us with gifts, but we ate the chocolate filled croissant.” Ren held out one of the cups from the campus coffee shop. “We saved you the coffee.”

“ _Merci._ ” Max snatched the coffee and wandered off in the direction of the kitchen to find breakfast. “Imbeciles.”

“Ren lies.” Kyo brought the small paper bag from behind his bag. “We brought food, coffee and gossip.”

“Oh?” Max glared at Ren and smiled at Kyo. “What gossip?”

“It seems one of the professors in your favorite department has been offered a coveted position at Grissom Academy.” Kyo leaned in to _whisper_. “It’s the illustrious Professor Tasse. Didn’t he mention it?”

“Grissom Academy?” Max handed Ren her croissant since her appetite had suddenly plummeted into nothing. “How did you find out about it?”

“Overheard the dean.”

“Overheard?” Max raised an eyebrow at the brothers. “Or you decided to test one of the new listening devices you’ve been working on.”

“Who me?” Ren grinned.

“I’m fairly confident that isn’t what your professor had in mind when he agreed to that as your thesis for your final project.” Max laughed when he shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine, but be aware my funds are limited when you get arrested for invasion of privacy.”

* * *

 

_From: Hannah Shepard_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: Josie._

_I’m not sure how to tell Max this, but I thought you might want to do it yourself. Josie was on Akuze with her squad when they were attacked by a creature of some sort._

_She was the only one to survive._

_Your husband probably knows more about it than I do._

_Josie is on her way to a hospital on Arcturus that specializes in burns._

_Hannah_

* * *

 

_From Steven Hackett_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: Josie Shepard._

_The report quite literally just landed on my desk._

_As far as I can tell, what Hannah told you is correct. We don’t know what led the unit into the trap. I doubt they wandered into a thresher maw nest by coincidence._

_Perhaps Max’s professors would understand her need to take a brief hiatus from class? She’s going to want to visit her friend._

_Love you,_

_Steven_

* * *

 

Max was on her way to speak with Henri about his ‘opportunity’ when Zaeed caught up with her. She frowned at him in surprise when he was waiting for her outside of her last class of the day. Her suspicious turned to worry when he seemed to struggle for words.

“Is it Steven?”

He shook his head. “No, little fiend, Josie was injured on duty.”

“Josie?” Max let her backpack slide to the ground while she dropped onto a nearby chair with a thud. “Injured. How bad is it, Papa?”

“She suffered serious burns.” Zaeed watched tears fill his daughter’s eyes and he dragged her up into hug. “Steven will get the goddamn bastards who led her unit into a trap.”

“Was it her Dad?” Max couldn’t think of anyone who’d want to hurt Josie other than her dad.

“I doubt it.”

“I need to speak to Henri. _Merde._ I’m going to take a few days to go see her. Where is she?” Max struggled out of his embrace to grab her bag. She immediately started to walk quickly down the hall while muttering to herself rapidly in French. She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Coming?”

* * *

 

_From: Ren_

_To: Kyo_

_Subj: Max._

_Her friend’s in the hospital._

_We should check on the furry creature in her apartment to make sure he has food._

_Also, keep an eye on Henri._

_Ren_

* * *

 

_From: Kyo_

_To: Ren_

_Subj: re: Max._

_I’m sitting beside you._

_And I just told you everything you messaged to me._

_Why didn’t mother stop at one son?_

_Kyo_

* * *

 

_From: Kyo_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Henri._

_So…my eavesdropping brother discovered your professor is considering turning down the Grissom job. He doesn’t want to be so far away from you, I’m guessing the last part. It’s not like he’d tell another professor that._

_Your kitten is doing fine._

_When are you coming back to Harvard?_

_Kyo_

* * *

 

By the time Max made it back to the university, the summer holidays had already started. She was due in London in a few weeks. Henri had been waiting for her to return. He heard her sneaking into his apartment late in the evening and decided to feign being asleep.

He heard her moving slowly through his living room and finally into his bedroom. She tip-toed along the side of the bed and sat carefully on the edge of his bed. Her fingers danced lightly along his brow before she rested her hand against his cheek. He listened to her murmuring in French to him.

Max told him things that she’d likely never have said if she thought he was awake. His heart hammered in his chest as the words ‘I love you’ left her lips. He wanted to say something in return, but the soft caresses through his hair caused him to drift off to sleep.

He awoke to an empty apartment and a note on the pillow next to his.

* * *

 

_Dear Henri,_

_I’ll be gone when you read this. I need to head to London for my internship and I’m taking the cowards way out._

_I want you to take the position at Grissom Academy._

_No matter how wonderful our relationship might be, it’s not worth…I’m not worth turning down an opportunity such as Grissom. I don’t want the weight of it on my shoulders, knowing you turned it down for me._

_Take it._

_Je t'aime._

_Max_

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Kyo Oshiro_

_Subj: What did you do?_

_I’m on my way to Arcturus, hoping to catch Max before she leaves for London._

_What the hell did you or that idiot brother of yours tell her?_

_Not that it’s any of your business, but I planned to take the job in Grissom since it would make dating her a lot simpler than it is now._

_I’ll deal with the two of you nosy little shits later._

_Henri_

* * *

 

Hackett woke the next morning to find his husband making what appeared to be blueberry cream cheese waffles, probably for Max. The twenty-one year old was currently curled up on the couch under a quilt with René snuggled in her arms, her eyes ringed red from a long night spent crying.  She didn’t look up from where she had her face hidden in the cat’s fur even when he touched her shoulder lightly.

With a sigh, Hackett made his way into the kitchen. He kept his voice low when asking Zaeed if Max had said anything at all. They knew something had happened with Henri, but she hadn’t been in any sort of state to explain when she arrived the night before.

“She spent the whole goddamn night muttering in goddamn French. She was sobbing on my shoulder so I couldn’t understand a fucking word.” Zaeed slammed his fist into the counter. “Why can’t I just go pound the bastard’s skull in? I’d feel so much better about everything.”

“It wasn’t his fault, Papa.” Max stood with René cradled in her arms. She moved toward them and didn’t resist when Zaeed pulled her into a hug. “I left him.”

“Why?” Hackett ignored the threats toward Henri that his husband was still issuing to get to the root of the problem. “Did he do something?”

“No, he…” Max frowned at her _Papas_ then down at the tiny meowing dark grey kitten who had interrupted her. She glanced at René and back at the kitten. “Did you obtain a new furry fiend?”

“It’s for you.” Hackett smiled at her.

“For me?” She crouched down to pet the little kitten. “I can’t even look after René most of the time. So basically, you got yourselves a new cat and are using me as an excuse.”

“Yes.”

* * *

 

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: re: Kittens._

_Newton is adorable._

_I can’t believe they named him Newton. Didn’t your Papa swear to drown you the next time you quoted an old dead scientist at him? And he named a kitten after Isaac Newton. I bet Steven did it just to annoy him._

_I’m fine.  I swear._

_Sorry I was asleep when you came to visit me._

_Acid burn is a bitch._

_I’m getting promoted though, be back on duty in a week. I’m so damn sick of physical therapy and doctor visits._

_And we’re going to have a nice long talk about your idiotic idea of a grand gesture. You don’t just give up the super-hot professor._

_Later,_

_Josie_

* * *

 

When Henri finally arrived on Arcturus, Max had already left for London. Massani seemed genuine in his sympathy, but the man was firm on his insistence that his daughter not be disturbed on her internship. Henri reluctantly agreed to wait to speak with her until the two month placement at the hospital was up.

_Very reluctantly._

The more time Max had to consider things, Henri knew she would became convinced sacrificing their happiness for his career was the correct course of action. _Foolish girl._ It was beyond frustrating for him. She hadn’t even bothered to respond to any of his messages. He only needed five minutes to explain his plan to her.

_Just five damn minutes._

His aim at accepting the job offer at Grissom Academy was to remove any potential stigma to their relationship. Max had thrown all of his plans into complete disarray. He still had to continue on with packing up his stuff and moving to the academy.

_He refused to lose Max._

He hadn’t been able to forget the beautiful young woman who bumped into him in the antique bookstore in Paris. Her eyes sparkled in a way he hadn’t seen in so long. He wanted her back.

Max was young, intelligent and beautiful. Henri wasn’t fool enough to think he was the only one to see what a treasure she was. He felt like someone had dumped ice down his shirt just thinking about it.

* * *

 

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Kyo Oshiro_

_Subj: Debts._

_I do believe it’s time for me to call in that debt you owe me for not turning your brother in for his ‘eavesdropping.’_

_I promised not to personally interrupt Max’s internship._

_So I need you to deliver a message for me._

_Henri_

* * *

 

_From: Kyo Oshiro_

_To: Henri Tasse_

_Subj: re: Debts._

_I’m only saying yes because I know Max is in love with you._

_Kyo_

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Max was finishing up her rounds on the emergency ward when she watched two of the other interns gossiping outside of one of the private rooms. She shooed them away from the door then checked her sheet to find her last patient was inside. His name was Josef Fletcher and he’d been in a skycar accident after racing at night.

With a roll of her eyes, Max entered the room and started checking the machines and his vitals. She studiously avoided making eye contact with the man once she realized how incredibly handsome he was. _Merde._ He had deep blue eyes and dark black hair that was slicked back. His lips quirked up when her eyes drifted up to his face again.

_Merde._

She’d known a lot of _boys_ like this one. The ones who thought a pretty smile and sparkling eyes could convince anyone into their bed. She had enough romantic troubles without adding an idiot like this to them. She muttered to herself in French as she adjusted one of the machines.

 _“_ _Ê_ tes-vous français?” His voice was deep and smooth. He sounded like he was laughing at her though she didn’t think he was.

“ _Oui_.” She nodded then focused again on his charts. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now.” He lifted his hand up to beckon her closer. “You’re too far away.”

“Hmm.” She canted her head to the side and shot him a bemused smile. “And how many nurses have you coaxed closer?”

“None like you.”

“Oh? None like me. _Merde.”_ She shook her head and bit back another curse when her hair slipped out of the clip she kept it in. “The evening meal should be served shortly by one of the orderlies. I don’t believe you’ll want to accost Justin, he’s six foot four and rather cantankerous on the best of days. Should you feel the urge to pinch his ass, just make sure he hits your other side so you have bruises to match.”

Josef broke into a broad smile as he threw back his head to laugh loudly in spite of the pain it likely caused. “Tell me your name, please?”

“Ms. _Massani.”_

“I’m from Paris.” He ignored her brisk tone completely. “You?”

“I have rounds to complete, Mr. Fletcher.” Max touched a few buttons to the datapad medical chart and shut it down. “Enjoy your dinner.”

“Ms. Massani?”

“Yes?”

“Josef, call me Josef.”

“Have a good evening, Mr. Fletcher.” Max ignored the roar of laughter that followed her out of the room.

* * *

 

_From: Kyo Oshiro_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: Misunderstanding._

_It seems Ren heard everything, but missed a critical part of your professor’s thinking. Henri needs to speak with you. Give him a chance, please?_

_I think Ren and I screwed up something very important for you._

_How’s the hospital?_

_Is the rich boy still flirting with you? Get Justin to dump a bedpan on his head._

_Kyo_

* * *

 

Josef Fletcher was nothing but a devilishly attractive flirt and Max didn’t have time for it. Her internship meant everything to her. She would be moving into her last year of her undergraduate studies on her return to Harvard. If she did well with this program, it would look impressive on her application to the Harvard Medical School.

To her, the ability to create her own specialized studies program was critical. The head of the department only allowed a certain number of students to do so. Max wanted to be on the top of the list.

“ _Ms. Massani._ ”

Max groaned in annoyance then turned around to find Josef walking gingerly toward her. “Mr. Fletcher.”

“Coffee?” He held a cup out to her.

“Non, merci.” Max stepped around him to continue on her path. “I’m _not_ interested, Mr. Fletcher.”

“You will be,” he shrugged arrogantly.

“ _Non.”_ She raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ve attempted to be polite, but understand something, Mr. Fletcher. I’m not impressed by your wealth or your looks. I couldn’t care less who your parents are. My heart belongs to someone else.”

“Oh? And where is this someone else?”

Max wilted a little at the question. “Have a good afternoon, Mr. Fletcher.”

“Ms…Max.” He jogged after her even though it likely aggravated his healing injuries. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s my last day here, Mr. Fletcher.” She didn’t want to break down in front of anyone, particularly the man who’d spent most of his time in recovery flirting with her. “Please leave me alone.

* * *

 

_From: Kyo_

_To: Ren_

_Subj: re: Max._

_I don’t know if Max will talk to Henri._

_Why do you insist on messaging me when I’m in the same damn room sitting beside you?_

_It’s too bad we’re not twins, I could’ve eaten you in the womb and been done with it._

_Kyo_

* * *

 

Max went straight home to start packing up to head to Acturus before returning to Harvard.   She was folding clothes when a knock on her front door drew her away from her luggage. She found Henri standing outside with small pastry box in his hand.

“Henri?”

“I promised Massani that I wouldn’t interrupt your internship.” He shifted closer to her and tilted the box so she could see the delicate macarons within. “I believe it’s time we had a little talk.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josef: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88372781661/jockitch-nicolas-simoes
> 
> Newton: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/94547571981
> 
> Food Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/94645015366


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

The only thing to break the silence in her small, temporary quarters was a second knock on her front door. Since Henri was closer to it, he immediately moved toward it. He looked as surprised as Max when the door slid open to reveal Josef.

Both men almost instantaneously glanced in her direction, Max grabbed one of the macarons and shoved it into her mouth. She chewed as _slowly_ as possibly while staring pointedly at a spot on the wall across the room. She wasn’t explaining herself to Henri, and she had zero interest in knowing how and why Josef was at her apartment.

“So this is the man with your heart?” Josef spoke around the cigarette between his lips. He looked Henri up and down with a slight sneer on his face. “You should be careful when you let a woman like Ms. Massani get away from you. She’s deserves to be pampered and spoiled and treasured. It’s hard to do that when you’re not around. It leaves the field open to others who would do a better job.”

Henri raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t generally waste my time dealing with incompetent children like yourself.”

Josef’s sneer turned into a broad smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He turned toward Max with more genuine warmth. “I came to apologize again for earlier, but I see it’s not necessary. I hope you enjoy your trip back to Harvard.”

“Try to avoid racing at night, Mr. Fletcher.” Max shook her head at the audacity of the man when he walked purposefully over to her to kiss her on the cheek then strode past Henri without so much as a backward glance. “ _Merde.”_

“Max?”

“Why must French men be so…” Max crammed another macaron into her mouth to stop the question. She remembered her mother muttering about French men when her father had done something to aggravate her. She smiled sadly over at Herni while trying to clear the memories from her mind. “He was a patient at the hospital. He’s a very accomplished flirt. I’ve spent most of my time avoiding him.”

“So, I see.” Henri moved away from the door toward her. He lifted the pastry box out of her hand to set it on the table behind her. He bent his head down to sensually lick the dab of chocolate cream left on her top lip. “I came to tell you that I’m in love with you. I came to say how much I’ve missed you and how dreary my world has been without you in it.”

“Henri…”

“Non, listen.” He covered her lips with a finger. “I took the Grissom Academy position, the reason I did was it allows us to be seen together publically, wherever we like without fearing comments about my position as your professor and advisor.”

“Oh.” Max tilted her head to the side as she processed what he’d said. “ _Oh._ Merde. I’m going to kill Ren.”

“I might help.” Henri rested his hands on her hips to keep her from leaning in again. “I’m not as young, or as wealthy as Josef Fletcher is, or as connected.”

“Et?” Max had never been interested in money, power or connections and certainly not as related to romantic relations. “Do you think I care about any of those things?”

“Do you love me?” Henri apparently felt her question was rhetorical.

“ _Oui.”_

 _“_ Will you stop trying to play the martyr for the sake of my career?”

“Oui.”

* * *

 

_From: Steven Hackett_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: Kittens._

_You picked up the damn kitten, you clean up the mess._

_In more important news, I understand our daughter has reconciled with her professor. Try to look pleased for her when she mentions it._

_One of the biotic programs here on Arcturus is looking for interns, do you think Max would be interested?_

_Steven_

* * *

 

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: Henri and Max sitting in a…_

_I’m very happy for you, I’m glad you stopped being an idiot._

_Be careful back at Harvard. My dad’s been bothering me again, nothing that I can get him arrested for but I think he’s still holding a grudge._

_I’m heading to Rio for N-school. Can you believe it? Me? N-school._

_Let the lunatic Oshiro brothers look out for you._

_Josie_


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Ren_

_To: Kyo_

_Subj: Max._

_She needs our help turning the rooftop deck into a romantic space for her dinner date._

_I nominated you to do all the heavy lifting._

_You might also want to pick up something for dinner for yourself. I burnt the rice I was making for myself so I ate your leftovers._

_Ren_

* * *

 

“You can’t murder your brother.” Max smiled over at Kyo who was helping her with the oversized portable vid-screen. “I think it should be a little more to the left.”

“My left or yours?”

They were running out of time to set up the rooftop area for her movie night with Henri.   The waffle cranberry cream cheese and turkey sandwiches were ready along with a few other snacks and pastries. Max simply needed to change into her simple shift dress and grab the bottle of wine from the fridge.

Henri had planned so many romantic dates for her. She wanted to do something equally special for him.   Kyo had the only key to the rooftop deck, so he’d offered to let her use it for the evening. They’d set up a small area with the food, and then set up a blanket with a number of pillows on top of a spare mattress the brothers had in their apartment. They’d strung up a few portable lanterns so there’d be enough light to see, but it would be dark enough to enjoy the movie and a little privacy.

“Go shimmy into a sexier outfit while I finish up.” Kyo pushed her in the direction of the door. “We’ll make Ren clean the mess up later.”

“ _Kyo.”_

The magnificently set up romantic evening ended up going completely to waste. Max had just changed into her dress when a banging at the door startled her. She found Henri _and_ Steven standing side by side with serious looks on their faces. She clutched the wine bottle in her hand to her chest as she stepped back to let them inside.

“ _Mon dieu._ ” She could only think of one reason Steven would pay an unexpected visit. “Is he? Merde. What’s happened?”

“He’s alive.” Steven was quick to get straight to what he clearly thought was the important part. He probably believed it would ease her fears. Henri stepped over to place a comforting arm around him while they moved into the living room. “Zaeed was attacked by Josie’s father. Shepard died in the explosion that he used to ambush Zaeed.”

“ _Merde.”_ Max flexed her fingers around the wine bottle which she still held tightly. “Why isn’t Papa the one telling me all of this?”

“He was knocked backwards into a wall and is still unconscious at a hospital on Arcturus.” Steven lunged forward to catch the bottle when it slipped out of her fingers. He set the wine aside and took her hand in his. “We’ll take you to him. He’s going to be fine.”

“Fine?” Max shook her head slowly. “Unconscious after an explosion isn’t fine, Steven. I know the intricacies and dangers of trauma to the brain better than either of you.”

“Max.” Steven carefully eased her away from Henri into his arms. “He’s going to be fine. He’s a stubborn bastard.”

“I need to pack.” Max wrested herself away from him and moved into her room to pack and change into something more appropriate for travel.

She packed quickly, not really paying attention to the things she tossed into her messenger bag. She had a room of her own and closet full of clothing at her Papa’s Arcturus apartment so she didn't need to bring much. It had been Steven’s way of making her feel welcome. She sent a quick message to Kyo to let him know then let Steven and Henri rush her into a waiting shuttle.

* * *

 

_From: Kyo Oshiro_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: re: Rooftop._

_Ren’s cleaning it all up as I type this. I told him to consider it payback for eating my leftovers._

_Keep us updated on your Papa._

_I’ll keep an eye on your apartment. Ren said he’d speak with your professors to get class notes and assignments._

_Kyo_

* * *

 

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: Fathers._

_I don’t quite know what to say to you. I’m so damn sorry, Max. I don’t know what my dad was thinking going after your papa. He clearly wasn’t thinking about anything but himself._

_He hasn’t been right in a long time._

_I’m so sorry._

_I’m stuck on Luna at the moment for my N3 course. My mom’s stationed on a ship somewhere._

_Is there anything I can do?_

_Josie_

* * *

 

All of Max’s most cherished memories of her Papa involved a strong, unbreakable man coming to her rescue. Her knees gave out on her when she spotted him lying limp in the hospital bed. His arms and face scratched up. Zaeed shouldn’t look so very fragile. It shook her to her core.

Henri bent down to lift Max up from where she’d dropped to her knees on the floor. He kept an arm around her waist as he guided her into a chair placed by the bed. Max slumped despondently into the seat. She forced herself to sit up and grasp the lifeless, tattooed hand of her Papa. She motioned for Henri to hand her the medical datapad from a nearby folder.

She peered at the most recent notes for several minutes. She squeezed his hand gently. “You will _wake_ up. You have to wake up.”

“Max?”

She tilted her head to look up at Henri standing behind her. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders. “I won’t leave him. He wouldn’t leave me.”

“Je sais, mon coeur.” He bent down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m staying with you. Steven’s speaking with the doctors. How about I find somewhere to get all of us coffee and something to eat?”

“Merci.” Max twisted her head further to the right so their lips met in a brief kiss.

Her attention turned back to Zaeed as Henri left the room. Max took up the limp hand again. She remembered one of the patients during her internship who had come out of a coma after two weeks. The woman had told Max how she’d had to fight to wake up. It had been exhausting and sleeping seemed so much easier.

Max traced one of the scars on his hand and blinked back tears. “You shouldn’t be so quiet. You should be cursing the goddamn bastard for kissing me in front of you. Come back, Papa, please? You have to fight to stay. _Fight._ I don’t know how to fix this. Why is it that with all my studies of medicine, I can never fix the people I love?”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Food Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/95058225641/gastrogirl-waffled-cranberry-cream-cheese  
> Date Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/95057453341/dachelissius-we-heart-it


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Henri had taken a brief sabbatical from Grissom Academy to be with Max on Arcturus. It might’ve only been a couple of days, but it certainly seemed longer when he looked at the dark circles around her eyes. She wouldn’t leave Massani’s side for Hackett, but Henri had managed to convince her to take a few brief breaks for food. He wasn’t convinced she’d even bother to rest or shower if he hadn’t insisted.

It had been almost an entire day since Max had last left the hospital room. Henri walked over to massage her shoulders, hoping to ease some of her tension. He said her name several time, but she didn’t acknowledge his presence.

“ _Max.”_

She ignored him again and bent forward in her chair. “His eye twitched.”

“Quoi?”

She batted his hand away when he placed it on her arm. He watched with a growing sense of concern as she shot up out of her chair to lean over the bed. “Papa?”

“He’s not…”

“Did you have to bring that goddamn bastard with you?” Zaeed’s gruff murmur caught both Henri and Max’s attention.

Leaving Max to admonish her _Papa_ in rapidly spoken French, Henri stepped into the hall to inform the nurses that Massani was awake. He sent a message to Hackett who had been called into his office earlier. He made his way back into the room to find Max still lecturing her Papa on the importance of avoiding explosions.

“Keep going on at me, and I’m going to slip back into the goddamn coma.” Massani grunted when Max smacked him on the arm. “Aren’t you doctor types supposed to take care of the injured?”

“I was worried.” Max hugged him tightly. "I love you, Papa."

"Easy there, Little Fiend.  I'm too goddamn stubborn to die easily." Zaeed winced as he tried to wrap his arms around her. "Did I kill the bastard?"

"You did." Henri answered before easing Max away so the doctor could check his condition. 

She refused to listen when he told her to be patient though. She peppered the doctor and nurse with questions before they’d even finished looking at the readouts from the machines in the room. Henri finally managed to distract her away when Hackett arrived. They left the room to give the husbands a moment alone.

“He’s awake.” Max repeated the phrase a few times in English and French. Her fingers inched underneath Henri’s shirt to splay against his sides. “I can’t lose him, Henri. I can’t. He’s the only family I have.”

He placed his finger under her chin to tilt her head up. “You are _not_ alone, Max. _Amour de ma vie._ ”

_“Je sais.”_

* * *

 

_From: Max Massani_

_To: Josie Shepard_

_Subj: Awake._

_He’s awake._

_Stubborn fool insists on getting out of bed and the hospital. It doesn’t seem to matter what his doctors or I or Steven say. He refuses to stay in bed._

_How is your N-school going?_

_I have to head back to Harvard tomorrow. Medical School won’t wait for me. And I don’t want to lose my spot._

_Henri wants us to get a place together in Paris. He thinks since I plan on working at one of the larger hospitals there after medical school, we should find an apartment now. We can spend vacations there, and I can live there full time after I finish at Harvard in a couple of years._

_I’m not sure if I should say yes, or wait until I’m actually done at Harvard._

_Papa is not really going to like the idea at all._

_I don’t know what to do._

_Max_

* * *

 

_From: Kyo_

_To: Ren_

_Subj: re: Max._

_Must you message me when I’m sitting beside you?_

_I did notice Max boxing up a few of her things._

_Why do I have to be the one to ask her about it?_

_Kyo_

* * *

 

Max’s stay on Arcturus had been longer than she intended.   It took her a week and a half to get caught up on the classes that she’d missed. Henri had made her promise to consider his idea of an apartment in Paris. She liked the idea in theory as it would provide her somewhere to stay when she finally started working at the Parisian Biotic Research Centre.

Getting a post at the Centre was what Max was working toward, all of her courses and internships had been adjusted and selected to make her resume look incredibly impressive when she finally got around to applying. She still had one last year of medical school to complete first.

She was relaxing on her couch with Rene curled up on her side while she studied when her door slid open. She jumped up alarmed only to stop in the process of sending a message to campus security. “Josef?”

“You need better security.” He leaned against the doorframe with a smug grin. “Took me ten seconds to get through the lock.”

She was the one smiling a moment later when Kyo and Ren had the man pinned to the ground. “Meet my next door neighbhors. They like me very much, and they don’t seem to feel the same way about you.”

Josef brushed himself off when the Oshiro brothers finally let him up. “Did you know there’s a prime research position open at the PBRC? My father’s on the board of directors. I threw your name out there.”

“Pourquoi?

“Repayment of a debt.” Josef bowed slightly toward her. “Consider it my way of saying thank you for not fawning all over me at the hospital when you treated me.”

Max raised an eyebrow at him. “Fawning? You have lost your mind. I didn’t study psychiatry.”

“You really didn’t recognize me, did you?” Josef shook his head seeming completely amazed. “My mother is one of the original founders of the Alliance News Network. My father was the president of France for ten years before he retired from politics to lead the PBRC.”

“ _Merde.”_

“Sommes-nous des amis?”

Max muttered curses in French again before answering. “ _Only_ friends.”

“But of course.” Josef grinned at her again. He turned serious a moment later. “I don’t have friends, you see. I have too much money and connection to have real friends. You don’t seem to care about either of those things, so…I hoped you might want to…”

“Next time, knock on the damn door, idiot.” Kyo smacked Josef on the back of the head and shoved him into Max’s living room. “We’ll bring beer and pizza.”

Josef stared after the two brothers as they disappeared into their own apartment. “What…”

“I believe you can now proudly claim to have three friends who don’t care about your bank account.” Max bent down to lift up the cat moving between her legs. “Don’t disappoint me, Josef.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Josie Shepard_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: re: Celebrations._

_I wouldn’t touch the brothers’ idea of celebration with my sniper rifle. Those two are hazardous to their and everyone else’s health._

_Seriously, congrats on doing well at the interview. I still don’t understand why you put it off until you finished your masters and doctorate. You could’ve done an internship with them._

_Have you told your Papa or Henri or anyone that doesn’t have a last name of Oshiro?_

_Josie_

* * *

 

When Henri entered the code to Max’s apartment and stepped inside, he didn’t expect to find two passed out Oshiro brothers passed out on the living room floor. They were surrounded by shot glasses and several bottles of what he thought was saké. Only one of the bottles seemed to have any liquid left in it.

Ignoring the snoring men, Henri made his way down the hall to find Max passed out on her bed in nothing but shorts and a bikini top. He stepped closer when he spotted a brightly colored tattoo on the lower part of her spine. It reminded him of a sketch of a DNA Tree of Life that he’d seen once.

Henri had no idea Max intended to get a tattoo. He bent forward to read the names inscribed on three of the roots at the base of the image—her parents, all three of them. He lightly traced the lines of the DNA with the tip of his finger. She shifted in response before eventually rolling over on her back.

“Bonjour.” Max smiled drowsily up at him. She canted her head slightly to look around him at the clock on the wall. “You’re very early.”

“I missed you.” Henri sat on the edge of her bed and leaned across her with one hand resting next to her on the mattress. “Did you three have another sushi and saké night?”

“They drank most of the saké.” Max rolled over on her side and curled around him. Her head rested on top of his thigh. “Kyo’s finally moving away. He’s going to Tokyo to work at some prestigious law firm or another. I’m still surprised he didn’t leave after he finished with law school and passed the bar. He’s better than that crappy little firm he works at near the university. He was so drunk I could understand him when he told me what we were celebrating.”

“How did your interview at the PBRC go?” He asked while slowly lowering the straps of her top.

Max’s eyes narrowed on him. “ _Merde._ How do you already know? I haven’t even told Papa yet.”

“Ren.” Henri laughed at her indignant huff. He moved his fingers from caressing her back up to gently stroke along the side of her throat. “Spend the day with me, mon Coeur.”

She shifted over onto her back and leaned up with her arm around his neck to tug him down into a kiss. “What _will_ we do with an entire day together?”

“Hey, Max, stop making with the kissing and come fix your waffles.” Ren tapped quietly on the door before barging in. He snorted then turned his head until Max pulled her blanket up. “So waffles?”

“Shouldn’t you have a painful hangover?” Henri briefly considered a number of ways to recreate the sensation for the young man.

“Me? Hangovers? I think you’re mistaking me for my older, uglier and far less intelligent brother, Kyo.” Ren grinned at them before ducking out of the room.

“How do you put up with him?” Henri hadn’t come all the way from Grissom Academy to spend time with Max and an entourage. “I’ll make breakfast for the four of us and then, those two are going to their own apartment.”

“Bien sûr.”

* * *

 

_From: Papa_

_To: Max_

_Subj: Steven._

_He wants to know if you’re coming to Arcturus before you head to the Paris. We’ll see you next week at your graduation. How many of those goddamn things are you going to have?_

_He also wants to know if you’re going to need help moving your stuff into the new apartment. Or is  Henri doing all of that goddamn stuff for you._

_I am not being fucking petty. I don’t care what Steven says._

_Love you,_

_Papa_

* * *

 

The messages from her Papa in the past month or two as Max came closer and closer to her final graduation day had become very amusing. He seemed to be having trouble adjusting to the fact that his little fiend would no longer be in school. She was _officially_ an adult.

Max had received several offers from hospitals around the world and even a few amongst Council races. She’d decided to stick with the PBRC opportunity since it would allow her to test out several of the theories put forward in her final thesis.

Being in Paris played a lot toward her decision as well. Henri had finally convinced her that they should find an apartment in the city. They picked one of the more eclectic districts not far from the PBRC and also his brother’s club. It was one of those neighborhoods filled with restaurants and shops. The apartment itself was in a refurbished old building. They had almost immediately fallen in love with the place.

“ _Max.”_

She shut down her terminal to head into the kitchen where an exasperated Henri holding the brothers’ breakfast hostage. “They’ll shut up if you feed them.”

“Not in my experience.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Max' Tattoo: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88292945981/fuckyeahmathandsciencetattoos-dna-tree-of-life


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Zaeed Massani; Steven Hackett_

_Subj: Max._

_I will be proposing to her in a few days. I wanted to wait until after she’d finished her masters, but I don’t want us to move to Paris without being at least engaged._

_She would appreciate your blessing._

_I’ll propose whether you offer it to us or not._

_Henri_

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed_

_To: Steven_

_Subj: re: The Arrogant Bastard._

_But I want to grind his face into the ground._

_What if I just broke the bastard a little bit?_

_Max won’t mind, she can always fix him._

_Zaeed_

* * *

 

_From: Steven_

_To: Zaeed_

_Subj: re: The Arrogant Bastard._

_Sorry, I’m still confused about whether arrogant bastard refers to you or Henri._

_You can’t injure him because it would make Max sad and we both agreed that it was a bad thing to make her sad._

_Remember? Tears? Big brown eyes? Lots of guilt on our parts?_

_No sad Max._

_Steven_

* * *

 

Henri had anticipated some sort of threat from Massani, but had been surprised when it never arrived. Hackett’s cooler head had obviously prevailed over Max’s over-protective Papa. He could only hope the man wouldn’t ruin his surprise by contacting his future fiancé directly about it.

On one hand, Henri could understand the continued concern from the man. If he and Max were lucky enough to have children, it was likely they would be just as protective. He simply wished Massani would reach at least a basic level of acceptance for their relationship. Henri wasn’t planning on going anywhere.

He waited until Max was in the shower to prepare his surprise for her. The engagement ring which he’d chosen was elegant, but understated. He’d already hidden it amongst a selection of bonbons in a heart-shaped box which he’d picked up in Paris earlier. It would be the grand finale for the evening.

The conductor for the Cambridge symphony orchestra owed Henri a favour. She’d agreed to allow him to set up a special meal inside of the hall where they usually performed. The orchestra would play a private concerto for them while they ate food brought in by a local French restaurant at an intimate table for two set up in one of the balcony boxes.

After laying out the dress he’d purchased for her on the bed, Henri ducked out of the room into the second bathroom to change into his own tuxedo which he’d stashed out of sight the day before. He was just tying his bowtie when he heard Max’s exclamation of delight. She’d obviously found the adorable striped dress that he’d left out for her.

“ _Henri._ ” She twirled her way into the room and grabbed the lapels of his jacket to tug him down into a kiss. “Where _are_ we going?”

“Wait and see.” Henri used his arm around her shoulders to guide her out of the apartment. “I’ve planned something _very_ special.”

It wasn’t long before they were sitting at an exquisitely set table for two on a small balcony overlooking the orchestra. They dined on coq au vin. Their arms stretched across the small table so their fingers could intertwine. He waited until the meal had been cleared away and the chocolate soufflés served to motion to the server to bring out the box of chocolate bonbons.

“Henri?” She glanced between the heart-shaped box and the soufflé. “Two desserts?”

“Try the confections first.”

 _“Merde._ ”

He barely made out her softly uttered curse over the swells of the orchestra’s refrain. “Veux-tu m'épouser?”

Moving around the table, Henri knelt beside her chair. He reached up to take the ring from the middle of the chocolates. He held it between his fingers while searching Max’s teary eyes. She nodded sharply when he asked the question again, this time in English. He carefully slid the ring onto her finger and then brushed his lips against it.

“Mon dieu.” She stared blankly down at him. “You asked Papa, didn’t you? He was so grumpy with me when I spoke to him last night, but he wouldn’t tell me why. You….no… you wouldn’t ask, but you told him.”

“I merely suggested you might want his blessing.” Henri shifted up so he could cup her cheeks with his hands. He guided her forward until their lips met. “I would’ve asked with or without it.”

“Je t’adore.” She twisted her head to kiss the palm of his hand. “I would’ve said yes without his blessing, but I’m grateful you made the effort.”

“So? Will you marry me?”

“ _Oui.”_

Henri sat back on his heels with his hands resting on her knees just under the hem of her dress. He rubbed the soft skin there with his thumb. “I know we bought the apartment in Paris, and you’re just finishing up your education. You have your internship and I have Grissom Academy. But I want you to be my wife; I want us to have a family together, even if it means an extended engagement. I simply want everyone to know we _belong_ to each other.”

She blinked away tears and lifted a trembling hand to rest against the side of his face. “We most _certainly_ belong together.”

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Papa_

_Subj: Henri._

_I said yes._

_I know that he told you._

_I hope that you will be happy for me. We’re going to have a long engagement, there’s just too much going on and I refuse to rush the wedding._

_But I have one very important matter to handle now._

_Will you be the one to walk me down the aisle? You’re my Papa, and it wouldn’t feel right if you weren’t the one._

_I love you._

_Max_

* * *

 

_From: Papa_

_To: Max_

_Subj: re: Henri._

_I’ll shoot any goddamn bastard who thinks he’s going to take my place walking you down the aisle._

_You’re my daughter._

_End of story._

_I love you too._

_Little Fiend, always finding ways to turn my life upside down._

_Papa_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ring Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/95868240921/dreamer-until-the-day-i-die-not-mine-creds-to
> 
> Dress Reference: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/96052736726/whitneylynnboles-modcloth-vintage-inspired
> 
> Table Setting: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/96368791911


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shortest chapter EVER, not my best chapter either. Just needed to move the story along a wee little bit. 
> 
> Still not feeling 100%.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Ren Oshiro_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: Kyo._

_This is the first time we’ve lived so far apart. It’s actually the first time we’ve lived apart at all._

_Help. Me._

_If I burn my food, whose meal will I steal? I’m the only person in the apartment._

_It’s not normal._

_I don’t like this._

_Ren_

* * *

 

_From: Max Massani_

_To: Ren Oshiro_

_Subj: re: Kyo._

_I left a stack of take-out menus in your kitchen._

_Lift your lazy finger and pick one._

_Max_

* * *

 

_From: Henri_

_To: Max_

_Subj: Upcoming Visit._

_My hopes are to be in Paris by Friday evening so we have at least two days together._

_I miss you._

_Henri_

* * *

 

The move to Paris had been relatively painless. Her Papa had helped her move since Henri was stuck on Grissom Academy with the new school season starting. Zaeed stayed with her for a few days before heading home to Steven. It left Max a week to herself before starting her work at the lab.

Twisting her engagement ring around on her finger, Max turned her mind to the wedding date and the event itself. She hadn’t really had much time to consider everything before now. Henri appeared content with the idea of an extra-long engagement. She was starting to doubt the brilliance of the idea.

She loved and adored Henri.

_Would being married really disrupt her research and his teaching?_

It shouldn’t.

Marriage certainly hadn’t disrupted Steven’s career or her Papa’s bounty hunting.   Max knew she didn’t want to elope like they’d done. She’d dreamt about her wedding day, and maybe some of the childish imaginings no longer fit, but she wanted something special. She wanted it to be a cherished memory.

She had already figured out some of the details of the wedding.   The colours would definitely be a lilac or lavender, some shade of purple. Henri had already agreed to wanting to marry somewhere in France, somewhere on a beach outside since neither of them were overly religious.

Josie would be her maid of honour. Max figured Ren and Kyo could make up the rest of her side of the wedding party, though keeping the two idiots inline would require a lot of effort. She hoped Rene would be able to come in his little kitty tux. He was getting older, tended to sleep more according to Steven. It was something Max tried very hard not to think about.

The biggest issue for Max at the moment was how to avoid Josef causing drama at the wedding. He’d promised to be on his best behaviour and claimed to only be interested in friendship. She had her doubts and Henri had expressed his own concerns about Josef as well.

* * *

 

_From: Max_

_To: Henri_

_Subj: The wedding._

_Must we have a long engagement?_

_Max_


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epic feels are epic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Zaeed Massani; Steven Hackett_

_Subj: Max._

_You both need to get on the next transport to Paris._

_I received message an hour ago from Josef Fletcher. He’s been working closely with Max and her research team at PBRC. There was an accident in the lab last night. Max was working late, testing the first premise of her theory on human biotics when one of her assistants knocked something over triggering an explosion._

_Max was rushed to the hospital; I’m on my way there now._

_She is still in surgery. I have no updates on how badly she was injured. I’ll keep you updated. I know she’d want both of you there when she wakes up._

_I’ve informed her friends already._

_Henri_

* * *

 

The number of things going through Zaeed’s mind on the way to Paris were varied and all of increasingly dismal. Henri hadn’t contacted them since the initial message.   Zaeed wanted to be angry about it, but couldn’t find it in him. He knew the man was likely anxiously waiting for any news about Max’s condition.

_What the hell was he…_

He stopped himself mid-thought and refused to consider the possibilities of how badly injured his Little Fiend might be.  It didn’t do anyone any bloody good to think the worst. He’d just have to wait to see what the doctors said.

_Goddamn it._

“She’ll be fine, Zaeed.” Hackett took his hand and held it tightly. They’d met up on Arcturus to head to Paris together. He didn’t want Zaeed to face it alone. “She _has_ to be fine.”

“It was an explosion in a lab filled with a lot of goddamn hazardous things.” Zaeed refused to be blind to the possibilities. “She might not be fine. _Bloody science shit._ ”

Hackett tightened his grip on his husband’s hand. “She loves science.”

“And I’ll hate it to my goddamn last breathe if it takes her away from me,” Zaeed muttered angrily.

His mind drifted back to the first day Max tumbled into his life. Zaeed could still see the tiny hand that reached out for his. He hadn’t been able to let her go and sure as hell didn’t want to do so now.

When they finally arrived at the hospital in Paris, Max was in the sixth hour of her second surgery. Henri sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the ICU waiting room with his head in his hands. He didn’t look up when the two men sat across from him. Zaeed wasn’t surprised to find Josie and the Oshiro brothers had already arrived as well.

“One of her doctors came out an hour ago.” Henri broke the tense silence in the small waiting room. The usually confident man seemed strangely fragile while he spoke. “Max suffered severe burns on her legs. They’ve managed to heal those, though she’ll need skin grafts. They are more concerned about swelling of her brain. The blast apparently knocked her back against a steel wall. They don’t know if she’s going to wake up.”

“ _Shit.”_ Ryo’s whispered curse was echoed by his brother.

“If she wakes up?” Josie seemed as shell shocked as Zaeed felt. “She…”

“If they can’t completely reduce the swelling, there’s a chance Max might never wake up…or she could be in a coma for a…” Henri shot to his feet and stormed down the hall away from everyone.

With a pained sigh, Zaeed got to his feet to follow the man. He might not like _anyone_ dating his little fiend, but the professor had proved himself to be a good man. He shouldn’t face pain and grief alone. There was _plenty_ to go around.

“You shouldn’t…”

Henri twisted around to silence Zaeed. “Please do not presume to understand my feelings at this moment. You’re a father; you love her unconditionally as one. But if she doesn’t wake up, I will be losing my wife…whether we’re married or not at the time. It’s a different pain.”

Zaeed clenched his jaw and summoned as much self-control as possible not to pound the bastard’s head against the wall. “She’s my goddamn daughter. I loved her long before you even knew she existed. I’m not here to give you a hard time, you stubborn French bastard. I’m trying to offer support.”

“Why?”

“Because my little fiend loves you,” Zaeed grimaced distastefully at the admission.

* * *

 

_From: Josie_

_To: Mom_

_Subj: re: Max._

_She’s in a coma._

_They don’t know if she’ll wake up. The doctors wanted to take her off of life support. They had a number of very angry men wanting to put them on life support for suggesting it.   I wasn’t sure who was going to be harder to restrain, Max’s father or her fiancé._

_It could be days or weeks or months._

_I just hope she wakes up soon._

_Really soon._

_Love you, Mom._

_Josie_

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed_

_To: Steven_

_Subj: re: Six Months._

_I know it’s been six months._

_I don’t give a damn what the doctors say. My girl is going to wake up eventually. I’ve got the credits to keep her in the best goddamn hospital with the best goddamn doctors for as long as it takes._

_How’s Josie doing on the Normandy? I heard about the attack on Eden Prime._

_I’m not leaving Paris for now._

_Henri left his position at Grissom Academy. He’s taken up a teaching post here in Paris to be closer to Max._

_I haven’t killed the bastard yet._

_Come see me._

_Zaeed_


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

The week turned into a month that turned into to goddamn awful years. Zaeed had fought with the doctors every step of the way, refusing to allow them to disconnect Max from the machines keeping her alive.   He’d had Steven and Henri at his side for every agonizing moment of it.

Max had missed a lot of amazing and terrible things.   Zaeed stared down at the message from Cerberus.   The Illusive Man wanted to hire him on to a mission that involved Josie Shepard—who for all intents and purposes had been dead for the past year and a half.   He’d refused the first offer of credits and information on Vido.

_What the fuck did credits or revenge matter?_

He wasn’t leaving Max for the length of time this _mission_ would require even if he was curious as to how they planned on bringing a dead woman back to life. He’d told the Illusive Bastard to fuck off. The man was _persistent._

And then the bastard had appealed to him on a level Zaeed couldn’t afford to refuse.

The Illusive Man promised to assign a team of doctors and scientists to work on Max’s _issue._ Zaeed had discussed it at length with both Steven and Henri. He hated bringing in the latter, but the man was technically Max’s fiancé. It would’ve have been right to leave him out of the equation.

It was also important because if Zaeed agreed to the contract from Cerberus. He wanted Henri and several of the PBRC doctors to work with the Cerberus team. He didn’t trust the organization completely.

_Who knew what the sneaky bastards would do to some innocent woman in a coma in the name of testing?_

In the end, the three men decided to allow the Cerberus scientists to look at Max. Zaeed figured he owed it to his Little Fiend to keep an eye on whatever it is the group was doing with Josie Shepard as well.   His pride was a little dinged that he had to let the goddamn professor keep Max safe. He was willing for it to be dented even more if it meant she’d wake the hell up.

* * *

 

_From: Henri Tasse_

_To: Zaeed Massani_

_Subj: re: Progress._

_None so far._

_I dislike the Cerberus scientist as much as you do. They are a little too interested in what they are doing, and not in the normal way._

_I’ve asked Josef Fletcher to speak with the board of directors. They will bring in a little more security. Your husband has also assigned a few special ops officers who are posing as lab assistants at the moment. We will keep Max safe._

_Is the resurrected Josie Shepard the real Josie?_

_We have made little progress with waking Max up. The only thing that has been successful is a test proving her brain is still functioning. It’s encouraging, but not enough._

_I refuse to give up hope._

_Henri_

* * *

 

The Collectors were definitely a serious threat. Zaeed tried to keep his focus on the mission at hand and not on Max. He spent hours interrogating Josie until he was certain she wasn’t a clone or an elaborate AI. Years of listening in on his little girl’s secrets had finally come in handy; Josie had eventually proved herself to him.

She had been truly devastated when Zaeed told her about Max’s lab accident. She shared his doubts and concerns over working with Cerberus and the Illusive Man. He was _not_ a man either of them wanted to trust one they couldn’t afford to trust.

Coming face to face with Vido at the refinery had been surreal and really bad fucking timing. In the end, he’d let the bastard go to rescue the innocent workers. Josie’s goddamn bleeding heart refused to just let them die. He’d promised himself to keep her safe since he couldn’t keep Max safe.

They’d argued _loudly_ about it afterward. Zaeed thought perhaps Josie had trouble separating him as a bounty hunter from his being her best friend’s father. He left her to her thoughts and went down to the engineering deck to message his husband for a sanity check.

He was sitting on the cot in his _quarters_ when his omni-tool pinged with a message from Henri. His heart raced as it did every time an update arrived from Paris. He stared at the subject line—another surgery. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to read the contents.

_What if it were Max’s last?_


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Time had stopped mattering to Max. She could hear people talking around her, about her and even to her, but opening her eyes was impossible. Nothing seemed to work like it was supposed to. She felt her herself slipping away again and again, yet managed to drag herself back each time.

It felt like slowly sinking beneath the water in a bathtub with no way to hold on to the edges. Max found it harder to pull herself up each time. She wanted to wake up.

The hopelessness in Henri’s voice hurt her to the core. Max fought to wake up for him. She didn’t want to drift away and leave him alone, not when he whispered to her in French, begging her to come back to him.

Darkness had always been difficult for Max to handle. She felt stuck in a permanent nightmare. It was dark and cold—so very cold.

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed_

_To: Steven_

_Subj: re: Collector Station._

_Shepard’s on her way to help deal with your Kenson problem. I had her drop me off on the Citadel first so I can find a transport to Paris. I need to be there._

_With the Collector’s done, I’ll let you goddamn Alliance bastards deal with the Reapers while I focus on Max._

_I doubt Cerberus will lend any further help since Josie told the Illusive bastard to go fuck himself._

_Henri’s locking them out of the hospital for security reasons. We can’t risk him trying to use Max as a way to get back at Josie._

_What if she never wakes up?_

_I can’t fucking do this._

_Zaeed_

* * *

 

_From: Steven_

_To: Zaeed_

_Subj: re: Collector Station._

_She’ll wake up, Zaeed._

_You can’t lose hope._

_I love you._

_Steven_

* * *

 

The impending reaper threat became more of an issue for Zaeed than anticipated. The doctors were pressuring him to pull the plug on Max. Hospitals were likely to be some of the first places hit during an invasion. They would _all_ be at great risk, sitting goddamn ducks.

Zaeed sat beside the hospital bed and held Max’s arm, but lifeless hand in his. “It’s time to fucking wake up, little fiend. There’s some bad shit happening and I don’t know how the bloody hell I’m going to keep you safe here.”

He’d die trying though. If push came to shove, he would put a bullet through her head and then one in his own. She wasn’t going to be used by the reapers.

_No goddamn way._

_Not on his watch._

Sinking further into the chair, Zaeed started to drift into an uneasy sleep. He sat up suddenly in the chair when a shrill sound echoed through the room. He glanced up to find all sorts of alarms going off on the equipment surrounding the bed.

Doctors rushed into the room and immediately began to work on Max. Zaeed refused to be shoved to the side. He crouched out of the way and yelled over the alarms at Max to ‘stop goddamn scaring me.’

As if she heard him, her fingers tightened faintly around his hand. It was light enough Zaeed thought his mind was just fucking with him. She shifted her hand again in his a moment later though.

“Max?” Zaeed leaned forward and shoved one of the doctors out of his way. “Max? C’mon, little fiend, fucking wake up.”

“Rumors of my death are greatly exag….exag…” Max’s voice was weak, barely audible and the most beautiful goddamn thing Zaeed had ever heard. “Papa?”

“Let the doctors work, Max. Stay calm. I’m here. Not going any-goddamn-where.” Zaeed tried to keep her still while the doctors ran all sorts of tests. He glanced over his shoulder toward the door where Henri stood on what looked like shaky legs with his hands gripping the doorframe tightly. “I’m here. _I’m here._ ”

“Papa?”

“Yeah?”

“Il fait si sombre.”

“Try open your goddamn eyes, little fiend.” Zaeed gripped her hand tightly. “Just open your goddamn eyes.”

The next thirty minutes were agonizing for everyone involved. Max drifted in and out of consciousness for so long that Zaeed wondered if she’d only woken up long enough to say goodbye. He talked to her non-stop, sometimes encouraging and other times cursing her out just to try to get her to wake up completely.

Henri eventually moved away from the door to the other side of Max’s bed to hold her hand. Zaeed tried to ignore the words the man was whispering into her ear. He’d never admit to liking the bastard, but he’d developed a lot of respect for how the man hadn’t given up on Max.

Just when Zaeed was giving up hope again, Max’s eyelids fluttered and he found himself staring into a familiar pair of brown eyes. She cringed at the bright light and one of the doctors immediately dimmed the lighting slightly. She clutched both his and Henri’s hands tightly while trying to adjust to her surroundings.

“How long?” She asked.

“A couple of years.”

“Years?” Max’s eyes widened. She immediately glanced over at Henri. “You’re still here?”

“Where else would I be?” Henri leaned over to brush his lips against her forehead. “Where else would I be? My heart and soul was here in this bed. I couldn’t go anywhere else.”

“ _Smooth bastard,”_ Zaeed grumbled.

* * *

 

_From: Zaeed_

_To: Steven_

_Subj: Max._

_She’s awake._

_Not at a hundred goddamn percent._

_But…she’s awake._

_The doctors think it could be weeks before she’ll be well enough to be moved if the reapers invade._

_Where the hell are we going to go? I’m wondering if the Citadel might not be the safest place. Chakwas is there._

_Think the Alliance can spare a transport to get us there?_

_Zaeed_


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Max grew tired of the constant tests and all the sleeping. She couldn’t stay conscious long enough to have a quiet moment alone with Henri. He’d been a constant presence by her side along with her Papa since she’d woken from the coma.

_But…_

She longed to be held by her fiancé and feel the warmth of his touch. The coma had left her feeling so icy cold. Henri had stayed silently next to her. Her hand in hers was just _not_ enough.

“Papa?” Max finally broke after yet another long day. She needed the room cleared and no one frightened people away like Zaeed. “Make them leave.”

“And me too?” Zaeed glanced from Max to her hand tucked into Henri’s. “All right, you goddamn useless bastard, everyone out except the professor.”

Henri watched while the room slowly emptied. He turned back to Max with a smile. “Mon Coeur.”

“I love you.” Max tugged on his hands until he moved closer while repeating her words in French. “Hold me close?”

“Always.”

* * *

 

_From: Steven_

_To: Zaeed_

_Subj: Reaper Invasion._

_Are you safe?_

_Comms are spotty. I can’t get through to the Alliance post in Paris. Did you make it out? Let me know._

_I love you._

_Please be safe._

_Steven_

* * *

 

_From: David Anderson_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Paris._

_No word on Massani._

_I’m sorry, Steven; we haven’t found any sign of them. We’re heading to London. I can’t afford to stay in Paris any longer._

_David_

* * *

 

It was a week after the end of the war before Hackett finally arrived in Paris. He had a marine unit with him prepared for search and rescue. He planned to take the city mile by mile starting at the hospital until he found _something._

His husband… _alive._

God help him, Hackett wasn’t sure what he’d do if he didn’t find Zaeed. The war had taken so many lives. Shepard and Anderson died stopping the Reapers. He clung to the hope that Zaeed would’ve found a way to survive.

_He…_

“Admiral?”

Hackett lifted his hand to find James Vega waving him over to a destroyed shuttle about three miles from the hospital where Max had been. “What did you find?”

Vega held out a familiar bracelet to him. “There’s no one inside it. We found this on the floor.”

He ran his fingers along the broken clasp of the bracelet he’d last seen on Zaeed’s wrist. “They never left Paris.”

“We’ll find them, Sir.” Vega glanced down at the damaged shuttle. “There’s no blood. I think…”

Hackett stopped him with a wave of his hand. “Let’s move on.”

They searched one damaged building after another for three days. Hackett was giving up hope when one of the search teams signalled over the comm that something had been found. _Something_ , not _someone._ He made it across the city as quickly as possible.

It took all of his strength to force himself up the three flights of stairs to the apartment in question. The building looked heavily damaged, but still seemed structurally sound. Hackett hesitated by the door the marines had obviously forced open. It appeared to have been barricaded from the inside.

The captain leading this particular search unit stepped over to Hackett before he could enter the apartment. She explained they’d heard voices and followed them up into the building. They’d found survivors who were suffering from dehydration and had been wounded in some sort of crash.

Not needing to hear anything further, Hackett pushed past her into the living room. He stopped short inside the room where medics were attending to the two survivors. It was impossible to see their faces from where he stood, but the body bag on the floor caught his attention.

_Oh, god._

“Steven?”

He _almost_ dropped to his knees at the gruff voice. He did rush across the room and crouch down beside his husband. “You’re alive. You stupid bastard.”

“Miss me?” Zaeed chuckled then winced. “It was a close goddamn call. We ran out of food and water.”

Hackett tore his eyes way from his husband to glance over at the second survivor—Max. “Good to see you awake, Max.”

She didn’t even acknowledge his words. Her gaze focused on the body on the other side of the room. Hackett felt a wave of sympathy for her. There was only one person it could’ve been.

“He took a hit from one of the turian creatures on the way up here.” Zaeed kept his voice low. “We only had so much medi-gel. Max…did everything she could. She’s been so _goddamn_ quiet ever since he slipped away.”

“Henri?” Hackett leaned in to whisper.

“No, Josef Fletcher, he found us in the street. Henri wasn’t with us at the time. He’d gone to check in on his brother when the invasion hit.” Zaeed gripped Hackett’s hand firmly. “We have to find him.”

“Let’s get you both to a hospital.” Hackett placed the bracelet in Zaeed’s hand. “I _love_ you.”

 


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter.
> 
> I may at some point come back to add an epilogue, but for now...this is it. Hope you enjoy. I've loved writing Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_~ Three Months Post Reaper War~_

Zaeed had bought a place in Biarritz on the beach. It had a private path down to the water as well as a landing pad in front which made it easier for Steven to fly in via shuttle for weekends. The house was large enough for Max to have her own space which she seemed to crave.

He had initially tried talking to her, encouraging her to go outside to at least get sunlight. The days went on with no sign of Henri; she continued to withdraw into herself. Her time spent blindly flipping through a few medical texts she’d salvaged around the streets of Paris before they left.

His hope had been that that change of scenery would cheer her up was fruitless. Max couldn’t seem to move forward without knowing what had happened to Henri. Zaeed couldn’t really blame her. He would’ve been the same if his husband were missing.

_Goddamn Reapers._

It didn’t seem fair for her to have woken from the coma only to then lose Henri. Steve had spent time searching in Paris for the man, but eventually had to refocus his attention to the larger issue of rebuilding Earth and the Alliance.

Max had _understood_.

It was compounded by the fact that Max had yet to hear from either of the Oshiro brothers. Losses just seemed to keep piling up for her. Zaeed worried about the strain being too much for her. She hadn’t exactly fully recovered when the invasion started.

“Papa?”

Zaeed lifted his head from his terminal to find Max in the doorway to the room he used as his office. “Everything okay, Little Fiend?”

“Non.” She shook her head slowly. “I’ve booked a transport to Paris.”

“Max…”

“I can’t do this, Papa. I cannot sit and wait and wonder.” Max blinked rapidly to clear the tears in her eyes. “I have to find him, even if it is _just_ his corpse. Henri would never rest until he found me, and I will do the same.”

He frowned at her, but finally nodded his agreement. “Forget the bloody public transport. I’ll go with you; Steven can spare a goddamn shuttle for us. It’s not that far to Paris.”

“ _Papa._ ”

“You’re not bloody going alone.” Zaeed worried what would happen if Max did find Henri’s body with no one around to comfort her. “I’m going with you.”

“ _Fine._ ” Max muttered curses in French under her breathe before continuing,” I want to leave in the morning.”

“I’ll message Steven now then.” Zaeed watched her wander off without another word.

_Fucking Reapers._

* * *

 

_From: Kyo Oshiro_

_To: Max Massani_

_Subj: Alive._

_We’re both alive. Ren got a little banged up, the idiot got between me and one of the fucking bastardized human creatures._

_We’re heading to Paris. We want to help you find your professor._

_Glad you’re alive, and awake. Sorry about Josie and Josef as well. He was an arrogant prick, but a good man too._

_Tell your Papa not to glare at us, we’re sensitive boys, or so Ren claims._

_Kyo_

* * *

 

Max glanced around yet another ruined section of Paris’ once beautiful streets. She’d been delaying the inevitable, putting off going to where her home had once stood. It was worse than she’d imagined. Her beautiful building had been decimated by the Reapers.

_Nothing was left._

_Merde_

Every few feet, amongst the rubble, Max found bits and pieces of her life with Henri.   None of it was salvageable. The books had been trampled, rained on and god knew what else. She even spotted some of their clothing underneath what had been their living room wall.

Crouching down in the section nearby, Max found a photo of the two of them. She lifted it carefully, trying not to cut herself on the broken glass in the frame. She brought it up to her lips to blow off some of the dirt and used the edge of her sleeve to clean it further.

_Her sweet Henri._

_Where was he?_

She started to stand up when a shadow cut off the brilliant light from the noonday sun.   She tilted her head and fell backward in the rubble in surprise. “Henri?”

He knelt next to her with his hands gripping her arms tightly. He crushed her against his chest. “Have I started hallucinating? I’ve dreamt of finding you for weeks and weeks.”

They clung to each other while Henri explained how he’d assumed the worst when he found the damaged shuttles near the hospital. He’d been stuck at his brother’s club when the invasion started. They were forced out of the city to find safety and then his brother had been injured. He’d only returned to Paris a few days ago and had been unable to find any sign of her or Zaeed.

Twisting her head to the side, Max buried her face against his shirt. Henri held her even more tightly while a flood of emotions hit both of them. They murmured to each other in French though it was difficult to speak through their tears.

Max finally eased herself back to get a better look at him. She touched her finger to a new scar on his cheek. “Are you well? Truly well?”

“Me?” Henri shook his head in disbelief at her. “You went from a coma to the middle of an invasion. Are _you_ well?”

“Oui. Now, now I am.”


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A teeny, Christmas fluff epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Strains of instrumental Christmas music were playing in their flat when Henri returned from picking  up dinner at his brother's club.  He'd planned on cooking, but Max had come down with a terrible migraine.  They'd been a frequent issue for her in the long months after the war.

Not wanting to allow anyone to dig around in her brain again, Max had decided to find other methods of dealing with them.  It worked most days, but unfortunately not today.  He set the containers of food on the kitchen counter and wandered through the living room to find Max curled up on the couch with their new kitten - Alexander beside her.

"Mon Coeur." He sat on the edge of the couch, shifting the kitten out of the way and reached up to run gentle fingers across Max's brow. "Is it any better?"

"Un peu." She winced as she stretched then opened her eyes. "Joyeux Noël"

He leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the lips and had to lift up Alexander when he tried to join them. "I thought perhaps a simple dinner might work best."

"Bon."

"Your Papa and his husband will be joining us later?" Henri wasn't exactly looking forward to it.  Massani never seemed all that thrilled with him.  "Max?"

"We should marry."

"Pardon?"

"Marry, we should marry." Max pushed herself up on her elbows. "On Christmas."

"And where are we going to find someone to marry us on Christmas which is tomorrow?" Henri hadn't brought up the subject of marriage. He'd been waiting for her to do so, things had been so chaotic after the war.

"Steven will figure it out, he owes me. I planned his wedding." Max sank back down on the couch. "Je t'aime."

"You're telling your Papa." He smiled at her indignant glare. "I love you too."

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for Henri and Hackett to work things out for the wedding. His brother was so ecstatic about the wedding going forward that he shut down his restaurant and immediately had his staff being to decorate for a simple, elegant ceremony and a small reception.

The only attendees would be Massani, Hackett, Henri’s brother and his wife and the Oshiro brothers who’d somehow managed to get themselves on a transport to Paris in record time. The men wore simple suits, though the Admiral had gone for his dress uniform instead. He’d perform the ceremony with a local minister at his side to make it _official_.

“Ready, Little Fiend?”

Zaeed’s words were loud enough that Henri caught them as he watched the man lead Max through the small room set up for the ceremony. She’d pulled a short lilac gown out of her closet and they’d managed to find a florist open so she had a small bouquet of purple roses to go with it.  She smiled brightly at Henri and readily took his hand when they finally reached him.

Henri didn’t remember most of the words out of Hackett’s mouth. He was focused more on Max whose slender hand trembled lightly in his, but her voice was steady when she said ‘I do.’

_I do._


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Max's epilogue:

 

“Âllo?”

Stepping into their hotel suite, Henri’s gaze immediately searched for his wife.  He didn’t see her anywhere.  With a concerned frown, he made his way through the small living room into the large bedroom.  Max lay on the large bed, curled up under the blanket.

He sat on the edge of the mattress and gently brushed his fingers though her hair. “Mon amour?”

The wet cloth over her forehead made his heart sink—yet another migraine.   All this time after waking from the coma, Max still hadn’t shaken off the headaches.  It worried Henri—and her family—a great deal.  He kept expecting to wake up one morning and find her comatose again.

“Henri?” Max lifted the cloth from her eyes, blinking in the dimly lit room. “Am I late? I was supposed to be getting ready.”

“Never mind.” He massaged her scalp lightly in the hopes of easing the pain.  “We have a balcony with a spectacular view of our beloved Paris.  I can easily order in for dinner which we can eat outside to enjoy the setting sun.”

“Merci.” She captured his hand and leaned her cheek against it with a tired sigh.  “Will they ever end?”

“Je ne sais pai,” he answered honestly. “Research has turned up nothing so far unless you care to…”

“No more surgeries.” Max rolled over on her side, resting her head against his thigh. “Please?”

Henri lifted the hair form her face then bent over to kiss her forehead. “As you wish.”

He left her to nap a little more while organizing their dinner.  His original plans for dinner at his brother’s newly rebuilt club then dancing along the Siene with the evening crowds could wait for another time.  With a migraine, Max would barely be able to cross from room to room.  He stood in the middle of the room, tapping his fingers against his jaw, while considering alternate ideas.

The hotel manager happened to be a good friend of his brother’s.  It wasn’t overly difficult to convince the man to go a little outside of the box as far as their  _normal_  cuisine.  It took an hour to get everything set up to his satisfaction.

“Oh, you are a beautiful man.” Max sank gracefully into an overly cushioned chair on the balcony and breathed in deeply to appreciate the fresh blueberry waffles in front of her.  “This isn’t the typical Parisian fare we get here.”

He dragged the other chair over so they could sit side by side then paused to add cream to the coffer she’d poured for herself.  Max seemed to find a dose of hot coffee occasionally helped reduce the pain.  “Waffles are your favourite.”

Max cupped her coffee in both hands, holding it up close to her face to let the steam waft over her.  “I have to tell you something.”

“Oh? Something good or something bad?” Henri noticed her fingers clenching tightly around the mug and felt his heart start being faster. “Max?”

“I’ve asked Papa and everyone else to come for a visit next week.” Max smiled tiredly when Henri groaned knowing  _everyone_  meant her father, his husband, the brothers and her other close friends.  “I know, but I need to tell them—and you something.”

“And that something is?”

“Steven put me in touch with Doctor Chakwas who in turn introduced me to a group of doctors on the Citadel who handle traumatic brain injuries.” She kept her eyes on her coffee, avoiding looking at her husband even when he rested a hand on her arm. “When you thought I was visiting Kyo last month, I was actually having a series of tests run on me.”

“Oh, Mon Coeur.  Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve been there with you.” He tilted her chin up with his fingers. “Did you not want to get my hopes up?”

“Oui,” she shrugged. “They couldn’t tell me anything new, or so I thought.”

“ _And?”_

“The damage to my brain is permanent…”

“But?”

“They’re working on a therapeutic program which should limit my migraines, both in frequency and severity.” Max laughed when he dragged her out of her chair into his lap. “Happy Anniversary.”

“Je t'aime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Food Reference:
> 
> http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/123746385106

**Author's Note:**

> Face References:  
> Max as a kid: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88371880911/fashioncross-thylane-lena-rose-blondeau  
> Max as an adult: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/88698433226/facilitatefelicity-marie-ange-casta-comfy-vs


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